David Greene, a former co-host of NPR’s Morning Edition, has filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging unauthorized use of his voice in the AI-generated voices of its research tool, NotebookLM. The complaint highlights that Google created a male co-host for its new Audio Overviews feature, which allows users to generate brief podcasts from notes and documents, without Greene’s consent or compensation.
According to the lawsuit, colleagues first noted the resemblance of the AI voice to Greene's distinctive style, prompting him to seek confirmation from an AI forensic firm. Tests revealed a confidence score of 53-60%, suggesting a significant likelihood that the AI voice mimics Greene’s delivery, which he has developed over decades in public commentary. Google has described NotebookLM as one of its “breakout AI successes,” receiving praise for its human-like podcasting capabilities.
While Greene's lawsuit claims the tech giant misappropriated his identity and career, Google refutes these allegations. A spokesperson stated that the male voice in the Audio Overviews was created using a paid professional actor, dismissing the claims as "baseless."