Sir David Attenborough ‘deeply disturbed’ by AI clones of his voice

Sir David Attenborough is ‘deeply disturbed’ about the AI-cloned versions of his voice appearing online.

He's one of the most legendary broadcasters ever, and Attenborough’s voice is, of course, one of his most recognisable features. People are now using AI to replicate his voice, and the 98-year-old is fully aware of what’s happening.

Spoiler alert: the Planet Earth narrator is not very happy.

“Having spent a lifetime trying to speak what I believe to be the truth, I’m profoundly disturbed to find that these days my identity is being stolen by others — and greatly object to them using it to say whatever they wish,” Attenborough told BBC News.

Multiple websites offering AI-generated versions of Attenborough’s unique voice were discovered by BBC News. They are said to be indistinguishable from the real thing. One startling example of Attenborough’s AI voice delivered news reports on Donald Trump and NATO. Anyone who has watched one of Attenborough's acclaimed documentaries will be able to tell you these topics are very different from what he normally narrates.

Chris J Ratcliffe / Pool / AFP via Getty Images

“When you have a trusted voice [that] people recognize as an authority, as a voice of truth, and then to have words put in his mouth about war, politics and things that he has never said or may not ever endorse — it’s very concerning,” Dr. Jennifer Williams, an AI audio researcher at Southampton University, told BBC News.

It seems no one is safe from artificial intelligence these days, especially celebrities. Social media has been inundated with AI versions of songs by the likes of Cher and Beyoncé.

Cher told AP she was ‘shocked’ when she heard an AI version of her voice cover a song by Madonna.

“They didn't have it down perfectly,” she quipped.

"But also, I've spent my entire life trying to be myself, and now these a******* are going to go take it? And they'll do my acting and they'll do my singing?”

Meanwhile Beyoncé said hearing an AI song featuring her voice scared her. “Just recently, I heard an AI song that sounded so much like me it scared me,” she told GQ. “It’s impossible to truly know what’s real and what’s not.”

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