Netflix's Use of AI-Generated Voice in Gabby Petito Docuseries Sparks Ethical Debate

Netflix under fire for 'weird as hell' AI recreation of murder victim's voice

TL;DR: Netflix's docuseries "American Murder: Gabby Petito" faces backlash for using AI to recreate Petito's voice. Critics call it unsettling and ethically questionable. Filmmaker Michael Gasparro defends the choice, but experts and viewers express discomfort with the technology's use for personal content. Netflix has been the subject of viewer backlash following the release of their latest true-crime docuseries American Murder: Gabby Petito. The series, which chronicles the murder of 22-year-old Petito, utilizes voice recreation technology to simulate the voice of the victim, used throughout the show to read out journal entries and text messages and provide narration. The three-part series, released this week, opened with a disclaimer stating: "Gabby's journal entries and text messages are brought to life in this series in her own voice, using voice recreation technology." It's reported that the Petito family gave their blessing for the recreation; however, viewers have been quick to slam the creative decision. Calling it"a violation", "weird as hell," and an "unsettling use of AI". Filmmaker Michael Gasparro (Credit: Shutterstock) In an interview with Us Weekly, filmmaker Michael Gasparro defended the decision, stating that the AI narration brings her story to life in a more powerful way, and that they wanted to tell the story "as much through Gabby as possible." However, some AI experts argue that voice recreation in this manner crosses an ethical line. As reported by NBC, Merve Hickok, president of the Center for AI and Digital Policy, pointed out that while voice cloning can be acceptable for public content, it becomes problematic when used for personal or private material. "The person made a decision to keep that private," Hickok told The Independent. "And it is not up to us. It's not up to any of us to make that decision on their behalf after they passed away."

Gabby Petito murder documentary sparks viewer backlash after it uses fake AI voiceover

This isn't the first occurrence of such debate, and it will likely keep happening as the technology improves. Netflix's latest true-crime docuseries, American Murder: Gabby Petito, has stirred up a heated debate over how to deploy AI to mimic the voices of people who have passed away. The filmmakers employed AI to recreate Petito's voice and have it narrate excerpts from her personal writings, which has reportedly made many viewers feel uncomfortable and raised ethical concerns about using AI to give voice to the deceased. The three-part series chronicles the 2021 murder of 22-year-old Petito at the hands of her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. It pieces together her final months through interviews, personal videos, and social media posts, evoking how the tragedy happened in real-time on the internet. True crime aficionados famously dissected every frame of Petito's travel vlogs before authorities found her remains in Wyoming. At the start of the series, a disclaimer appears: "Gabby's journal entries and text messages are brought to life in this series in her own voice, using voice recreation technology." That means the voice narrating parts of the documentary isn't actually Petito's but a synthetic recreation made with an AI model. Netflix has said the filmmakers received permission from Petito's family to do so. That hasn't stopped some people from vocalizing how eerie the AI-generated voice feels. Social media content creators have racked up hundreds of thousands of views discussing it. This isn't the first controversy over AI-generated voices. Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain faced similar criticism when its director revealed that parts of the documentary featured AI-generated narration of Bourdain's own words. That movie didn't indicate which bits were narrated by the AI or by Bourdain, which led many to feel that the technique was deceptive. Filmmaker Michael Gasparro defended the decision in an interview with Us Weekly, saying the team wanted to tell the story as much "through Gabby's voice as possible." They had access to a wealth of her journals, notes, and online posts and thought AI narration would bring them to life in a more powerful way. "At the end of the day, it's her story." Technology has always shaped the way we tell stories, but AI presents a new challenge, especially when it comes to memorializing people who can no longer speak for themselves. Robert Downey Jr. has vowed that AI will never replicate him on screen, while James Earl Jones secured a deal with Disney before passing away, allowing them to use his voice for Darth Vader under certain circumstances. Meanwhile, ElevenLabs has inked deals with the estates of James Dean, Burt Reynolds, Judy Garland, and Sir Laurence Olivier to let it add AI versions of their voices to its Reader app. As deepfake technology and voice cloning become more sophisticated, filmmakers and media companies will have to reckon with how (and if) these tools should be used to tell real-life stories.

Netflix docuseries on Gabby Petito sparks backlash for AI use

One TikTok user said they felt "uneasy" after hearing her synthetic voice in the documentary. Catch up quick: Authorities say Petito's fiancé, Brian Laundrie, killed her after the two embarked on a cross-country road trip that she documented on social media. Between the lines: Filmmakers Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro received permission from Petito's family to use her voice, Us Weekly reports. Zoom out: Last year, singer Drake used late-rapper Tupac Shakur's AI-generated vocals in his track "Taylor Made Freestyle."