Anthony Bourdain deepfake voice results in ethics backlash
The unauthorised use of AI to recreate the voice of Anthony Bourdain in a documentary resulted in accusations of unethical behaviour by film critics and others. Roadrunner ( trailer ) , a documentary about the life and death of chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain, used deepfake technology to re-create Bourdain's voice without disclosure and without the permission of Bourdain's widow Ottavia. In an interview with the New Yorker , filmmaker Neville Morgan described how he had supplied an AI company with a dozen hours of Bourdain speaking in order to manufacture three quotes he had wanted the TV host to say. The interview led to a backlash by film critics, film makers and others, who accused Morgan of underhand, manipulative, and unethical behaviour. " We can have a documentary-ethics panel about it later", Morgan quipped. Morgan later told WIRED that he had "studiously avoided" using AI in his work after the negative reaction to Roadrunner. System 🤖 Unknown Operator: Focus Features; Morgan Neville Developer: Country: USA Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts Purpose: Recreate actor's voice Technology: Deepfake; Machine learning Issue: Appropriation; Authenticity/integrity; Consent; Transparency
- Date it happened
- 2021-07-01
- Organisation involved
- Focus Features; Morgan Neville
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