Google has officially responded to a high-profile “voice theft” lawsuit from veteran broadcaster David Greene, categorically denying that it misappropriated his voice for its NotebookLM AI tool. The tech giant is facing increasing scrutiny over how it develops synthetic personas. Still, the company maintains that the similarities claimed by the former NPR host are purely coincidental and legally unfounded.
Google’s response to David Greene voice theft lawsuit for NotebookLM
According to Google spokesperson José Castañeda, the male voice featured in NotebookLM’s “Audio Overviews” is not a digital clone of Greene. Instead, it’s the result of a legitimate commercial partnership. Google clarifies that it specifically hired a paid professional actor to provide the source material for the AI host’s delivery.
Google aims to distance itself from the “scraping” or “mimicry” accusations that have plagued other AI companies recently. Grounding its defense in the use of contracted talent is a movement in that direction. The firm asserts that the development process followed standard industry practices, involving human recording sessions rather than unauthorized voice extraction.
Context: The claims behind the lawsuit
The answer comes after David Greene filed a lawsuit in California. Greene, a well-known public radio personality for his work on Morning Edition, claims that Google’s AI mimics his “distinctive voice, cadence, and persona.”
After hearing the tool’s automated podcast summaries, Greene stated he was deeply unsettled by the resemblance. He also noted that even friends and family mistook the AI for him. The lawsuit suggests that Google sought to capitalize on his decades-long career to give NotebookLM a sense of journalistic authority. However, Google’s latest statements aim to shut down this narrative, labeling the entire complaint as “baseless.”
Google’s stance comes just after OpenAI got similar criticism from actress Scarlett Johansson. In that case, the company took out a voice that sounded a lot like the actress, even though they said it was based on a different person.
The post ‘Baseless’: Google Hits Back at David Greene’s AI Voice Theft Claims appeared first on Android Headlines.
