this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2025
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268
'I've been turned into an AI train announcer - and no one told me' (www.youtube.com)
submitted 18 hours ago by potentiallynotfelix@lemmy.fish to c/technology@lemmy.world
13 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

This is pretty disturbing, I hope she gets a massive paycheck for this violation.

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[–] logicbomb@lemmy.world 67 points 14 hours ago (3 children)

This is stealing her voice. It's just plain wrong.

What I really don't understand is, even if you think AI voice is okay, why not just make an original voice? Why you got to steal somebody's voice? Or if you don't want to do that, why not just get consent for the specific thing you're doing? Don't take advantage of the fact that she previously recorded her voice as an aid for the blind and steal her voice because of some small text in a contract. That's dishonest and pathetic.

You're the railway. Do you know how many people love and obsess over trains and railways? There are probably tons of people who would pay to hear an AI version of their voice coming from the train speakers. How did it come to this? How incompetent can you be?

[–] ToastedRavioli@midwest.social 40 points 14 hours ago

why not just get consent for the thing that you’re doing

I would imagine because consent would require opening the door to paying someone for use of their likeness, and if they were going to pay someone fairly they could just pay a voice actor. The whole thing is a means of getting what they want without paying for it

[–] Verqix@lemmy.world 5 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

What you really don't understand is, AI making an original voice is a pipe dream. You can average out voices of many different people who all had their content stolen. Originality is outside of its training set.

[–] logicbomb@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

There are different things we're calling AI. One is engaging in endeavors that are traditionally seen as creative, like text or image generation.

The AI we are talking about for this story is a text to speech engine that creates a believable voice. The voice parameters may be created by a human or AI or whatever. But that creation of the parameters of a voice is not the type of AI that we are talking about in this story.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 4 points 4 hours ago

There are probably tons of people who would pay to hear an AI version of their voice coming from the train speakers.

Yeah, but it needs to be clear, and as much as I love Dave from the pub, he tends to mumble.

[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 64 points 16 hours ago (3 children)

That's not disturbing; that's completely fucked up.

If they want to buy data to use for AI, they can pay someone to license their voice for its use. What they've done is no different to bootlegging, but it's worse because it's personally identifiable data.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 10 points 12 hours ago

Are you trying to imply that large corporations should play by the same rules us plebes are held to? How cute.

[–] GenosseFlosse@feddit.org 7 points 10 hours ago

Bro, do you really want to ruin tech bros because they would suddenly have to PAY for the data they use? Mark and Jeff would have to sell some of their yachts and Private jets to afford paying fair prices for AI data!

[–] Mondez@lemdro.id 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Do they pay people for use of their voice when they get a cheaper voice actor in who sounds just like them?

[–] SheeEttin@lemmy.zip 3 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

No.

But often those people sue and win. Midler v. Ford, for example.

[–] Mondez@lemdro.id 2 points 4 hours ago

Frankly I'm horrified that it would go that way and wasn't aware there were cases like this with sound alike voice actors unless the voice was misleading stated to be of someone it wasn't.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 4 points 4 hours ago

They should have gone the other route and just had the woman from 2 point Museum/Campus so it, complete with sarcastic remarks.

"The train is delayed, but you know that already"

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 1 points 2 hours ago

Pay the lady!