Radio Host Alleges Google's AI Podcast Voice Mimics Him

Radio host David Greene says he didn't sign up to co-star in Google's AI podcasts—but his ears tell him otherwise. The former host of NPR's Morning Edition is suing Google, alleging its NotebookLM tool, which uses AI to create on-demand podcasts, uses an AI-generated male voice that closely mimics his own without his consent, compensation, or control over what it says, reports the Washington Post in a lengthy look at the case. Greene argues the voice's rhythm, intonation, and even his characteristic verbal tics are so similar that friends, colleagues, and listeners assumed he'd licensed his voice to Google.

The lawsuit, filed in Santa Clara County, claims the product effectively lets users put words in his mouth, including views he'd reject. Google calls the allegations "baseless," saying the voice comes from a paid actor, not Greene, and denies using his recordings to train the system. The case could test how much an AI-generated voice has to resemble a real person's—and how recognizable that person must be—for courts to treat it as an illegal appropriation. It joins a growing list of clashes between creative workers and AI firms over who controls, and profits from, the human raw material powering synthetic media. See the full story at the Post.