NPR Veteran Sues Google Over Alleged AI Voice Copying
David Greene, former host of the renowned American public radio program Morning Edition, has filed a lawsuit against technology giant Google. Greene alleges that a male voice used in Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) tool ‘NotebookLM’ was created by mimicking his own voice, according to a report by the Washington Post.
Greene currently hosts the Left, Right & Center show on KCRW. He claims that friends, family, and colleagues emailed him noting that the NotebookLM podcast voice sounded strikingly similar to his own. Upon listening himself, Greene confirmed that the AI voice mirrored his tone, intonation, and even his use of filler words like “ahh.”
“My voice is one of the most important aspects of my identity,” Greene stated. His attorney expressed confidence in the courts and encouraged the public to compare the two voices themselves.
Google, however, has completely denied the allegation. A company spokesperson told the Washington Post, “This claim is unfounded. The male voice used in NotebookLM’s audio overview belongs to a professional voice actor hired by Google and has no connection to David Greene.”
Notably, this is not the first time such controversy has arisen. Earlier, OpenAI faced a dispute when a voice in ChatGPT was alleged to imitate Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson. OpenAI later removed the voice after the claim.
Greene’s lawsuit adds to ongoing legal complexities regarding AI technology and individual intellectual property rights.
DBTech/BMT/OR
