Longtime NPR host David Greene sues Google over NotebookLM voice

David Greene, known for his long tenure as the host of NPR’s "Morning Edition," has filed a lawsuit against Google. The complaint centers on the company's NotebookLM tool, which Greene asserts features a male podcast voice that closely resembles his own. According to reports from The Washington Post, Greene became increasingly concerned after receiving messages from friends, family, and colleagues who noted the similarities in the voice's cadence, intonation, and even its use of filler words such as 'uh.' Greene expressed the significance of his voice in his identity, stating, "My voice is, like, the most important part of who I am." Currently, he also hosts the KCRW program "Left, Right, & Center." Google’s NotebookLM offers users the ability to create podcasts featuring AI-generated hosts. However, a spokesperson for Google clarified that the voice in the NotebookLM’s Audio Overviews is not linked to Greene, emphasizing that the male voice was developed from a paid professional actor hired by the company. This legal dispute is not an isolated incident; issues regarding AI voices mimicking real individuals have arisen before. A notable case involved OpenAI, which withdrew a voice from ChatGPT after actress Scarlett Johansson raised concerns about its likeness to her own voice.