No plans for ScotRail to remove AI voice used on trains "without permission"

ScotRail has “no plans” to withdraw artificial intelligence (AI) announcements on trains, after the actor whose voice was featured said she felt “violated”.

The publicly owned operator has introduced limited AI announcements on Class 156 units to East Kilbride as well as some Inter7City HSTs. While most on-train announcements use the recorded words of an actor, the new voice (called ‘Iona’) puts typed messages into a Scottish accent.

Iona is a product of international tech company ReadSpeaker. But Scottish voice actor Gayanne Potter says she recognised it as her own voice, and that she “did not consent” to this use of her talent.

Potter said that she recorded her voice for ReadSpeaker in 2021, and was told it would be used for accessibility and e-learning software. She has been in legal disputes with the company for two years after she discovered the Iona product was being marketed “for much wider purposes” on ReadSpeaker’s website.

In a post on Facebook, Potter said: “Imagine my distress when I discover that Scotrail have installed the ReadSpeaker model ‘Iona’ that contains my biometric voice data as their new announcer on all their trains.

“I did not know. I was not asked. I did not consent. I was not given a choice.”

She said she had received no further remuneration after the “minimal fee” she was paid by ReadSpeaker and called on ScotRail to change course.

“ScotRail are now in possession of all the facts, yet ‘Iona’ is still being used on their trains,” she said. “ScotRail should employ a real human irrespective of who it is. Readspeaker should allow me the right to withdraw consent.

“It’s not about money. It’s about my identity. I feel violated. My voice may be something I use as a tool, but it’s also my personal data and I should have control over that.”

Asked if it was confident the voice was being used legally, a ScotRail spokesman said: “This would be a matter for Ms Potter to take up with ReadSpeaker, who her contract is with. We have no plans to remove the voice from our trains.”

The technology company said: “ReadSpeaker is aware of Ms Potter's concerns and has comprehensively addressed these with Ms Potter's legal representative several times in the past.”