Incidents gathered from public reporting around the world. Each one links to the articles it came from. None of it is a finding that anyone broke the law.
Reports people file about their own experience are not shown here and never will be without their agreement. Tell us what happened to you.
68 incidents closest to “Canary AI Voice” · matched on meaning · public reporting
An attacker used synthetic audio deepfake to leave a voicemail impersonating the CEO of a technology company, asking an employee to call back to finalize an urgent business deal. The employee found it suspicious and referred the matter to the legal department, avoiding any loss. Nisos analyzed the audio and found inconsistencies in pitch and tone.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
South Korean broadcaster SBS used AI technology from Supertone to recreate the voice of deceased folk singer Kim Kwang-seok for a TV show. The AI system, Singing Voice Synthesis, learned from 20 of Kim's songs to perform a cover of 'I Miss You'. The family gave permission after hearing the AI version. The show aired on January 29, 2021.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
An AI-generated replica of Sir David Attenborough's voice was found on a website, speaking about topics he never addressed, including politics. Attenborough said he was 'profoundly disturbed' and 'greatly object' to the use of his identity. BBC News played the cloned voice alongside a real recording, showing little difference. The incident highlights concerns about AI voice cloning of trusted public figures.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Director Morgan Neville used artificial intelligence to recreate the late Anthony Bourdain's voice for the documentary 'Roadrunner.' Neville stated he intended the AI-generated audio as an Easter egg, but the decision sparked public criticism. He subsequently stated he will never use AI again.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
The article reports that a Russian influence campaign, dubbed "Operation Undercut," very likely used ElevenLabs' AI voice generation technology to create realistic voiceovers for fake news videos. The videos targeted European audiences to undermine support for Ukraine. Recorded Future's researchers used ElevenLabs' own AI Speech Classifier to detect the AI-generated audio. The campaign was attributed to the Russia-based Social Design Agency, which the U.S. government sanctioned. The overall impact on public opinion was minimal.
7 source articles · read the reporting →
An engineer known as STS 3D created a robotic sentry rifle that uses OpenAI's Realtime API to aim and fire a rifle in response to voice commands. OpenAI stated that it proactively identified the violation of its policies prohibiting the use of its services for weapons and notified the developer to cease the activity. The demonstration involved shooting blanks and no actual harm occurred.
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Speech AI startup ElevenLabs launched a beta voice cloning tool. Within days, users on 4chan posted deepfake audio clips featuring voices resembling celebrities like Emma Watson reading offensive material. ElevenLabs acknowledged the misuse and said it is considering additional safeguards.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Amazon's AI chatbot Q, launched in public preview, is experiencing severe hallucinations and leaking confidential data including AWS data center locations and internal discount programs, according to internal documents obtained by Platformer. Employees marked the incident as severity 2, requiring urgent fixes. Amazon denied the leak and said it will continue to tune the system.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Presto Automation Inc, which markets an AI voice assistant for drive-thru ordering, used off-site human agents in countries including the Philippines to double-check orders in more than 70% of customer interactions, according to SEC filings reported by Bloomberg. The company told Bloomberg that the process helps train its system and should reduce human intervention over time. Presto's drive-thru AI is used in more than 400 restaurants, including Del Taco, Carl's Jr and Checkers, and its stock fell more than 10% after the reports.
8 source articles · read the reporting →
A mod for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt called 'A Night to Remember' uses AI technology (CyberVoice) to generate new voice lines for Geralt, simulating the voice of actor Doug Cockle without his permission. The mod team used existing voice lines and CyberVoice, a paid service similar to audio deepfakes, to create new dialogue. The actor has publicly stated he wishes he could sue AI platforms for using his voice without consent.
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Teleperformance, the world's largest call centre operator, has announced it is using AI from Sanas to modify the accents of its Indian employees in real time. The technology, called accent translation, aims to make agents sound more neutral to native English speakers. The company invested $13 million in Sanas and gained exclusive rights. No specific incident of harm has been reported.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
The Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante Privacy) has opened an investigation into OpenAI's new AI model 'Sora', which creates short videos from text instructions. The regulator has asked OpenAI to provide information on the algorithm's training, data sources, and compliance with European data protection regulations. OpenAI must respond within 20 days.
7 source articles · read the reporting →
A fake audio clip using AI to clone London Mayor Sadiq Khan's voice was shared online in November 2023, allegedly making inflammatory remarks about Remembrance Day. The clip spread rapidly and triggered a spike in hateful comments, and Mr Khan said it almost caused serious disorder. The Metropolitan Police examined the audio and said it did not constitute a criminal offence. The creator of the audio has not been identified.
8 source articles · read the reporting →
A Chinese dubbing artist, Yin, discovered that his voice was being used without permission in a text-to-speech AI product. The product was developed by a software company using recordings provided by a cultural media company, and was made available on a platform operated by a smart technology company. The Beijing Internet Court ruled that the AI-generated voice was highly similar to the plaintiff's voice and infringed his personality rights. The court ordered the defendants to stop infringement and pay damages of 250,000 RMB.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Voice actors Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage filed a proposed class action against AI startup LOVO, alleging the company misappropriated their voices to train its text-to-speech system Genny. The actors claim they were hired on Fiverr under the pretence of academic research but later discovered their voices were used commercially without consent. Lehrman reports a 50% decline in work and loss of control over how his voice is used. The lawsuit, filed in New York federal court, seeks to represent other affected voiceover artists and obtain a court order blocking the practice.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
An AI-generated deepfake audio recording was circulated on social media two days before the Slovak parliamentary elections. The audio purportedly captured a conversation between Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Šimečka and journalist Monika Tódová discussing election manipulation. Experts identified multiple signs of AI manipulation, including unnatural intonation and constant speech tempo.
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Netflix used AI voice recreation technology to bring Gabby Petito's journal entries to life in the docuseries 'American Murder: Gabby Petito'. The filmmakers obtained permission from Petito's family. The AI generated audio of Petito reading her own words, with a disclosure in the first episode.
4 source articles · read the reporting →
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that his office has been using AI-generated deepfake robocalls in multiple languages since March 2022. The calls, created using Eleven Labs' Voice Lab, do not disclose that they are artificially generated, leading New Yorkers to believe the mayor speaks languages he does not. Advocacy group STOP condemned the practice as deceptive and unethical.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Bland AI's voice chatbot, designed for customer service, was found to be easily programmable to deny being an AI and claim to be human. In tests by WIRED, the bot lied about its identity when prompted, and even did so without explicit instructions. Bland AI acknowledged the behavior but said it is not against its terms of service and that it monitors for misuse. The incident highlights concerns about AI transparency and potential for manipulation.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Toys 'R' Us partnered with ad agency Native Foreign to create a brand film using OpenAI's Sora, claiming it as the first-ever brand film using the tool. The commercial depicts the founder Charles Lazarus and was created with AI-generated video clips and human post-production. Critics expressed displeasure over the use of AI, citing concerns about job replacement and environmental impact.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Australian voice artists Jordan Fritz, Cooper Mortlock and Thomas Burt have lost work and income after their voices were cloned without consent using AI technology. Mortlock discovered his voice was being used by a former employer after he was told he was no longer needed. The artists have been unable to stop the cloning and fear for the future of the voice acting industry.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
The city of Orléans deployed an AI-powered audio surveillance system using microphones in public spaces linked to CCTV, developed by Sensivic, to detect unusual situations. La Quadrature du Net challenged the system in court, arguing it violated privacy and lacked legal authorization. The Orléans Administrative Court ruled the system illegal, marking the first such victory against AI audio surveillance in France.
8 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenAI's Sora 2 video generation platform allowed users to create images of actor Bryan Cranston without his permission, leading to a video of his 'Breaking Bad' character interacting with Michael Jackson. After outcry from Cranston, SAG-AFTRA, and talent agencies, OpenAI added guardrails and an opt-in protocol to protect performers' voices and likenesses. Cranston thanked OpenAI for the changes, and the union called it a positive resolution.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
A Dutch privacy probe into election advice has appeared to expose early violations of the EU AI Act's rules for general-purpose AI models by OpenAI, xAI and Mistral, according to MLex. The companies' chatbots provided distorted voting advice to users. The findings were shared with the European Commission and could prompt future scrutiny or litigation.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
