The new Netflix documentary, “American Murder: Gabby Petito,” has come under fire for using an AI-generated voice-over to narrate Petito’s story.
The series, which explores the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito in 2021, uses voice recreation technology to bring her journal entries and text messages to life.
While the documentary’s directors, Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro, stated that Petito’s family approved the use of AI to recreate her voice, the decision has sparked significant backlash online.
Critics on social media have described the AI voice as “unsettling” and “unnecessary,” with a TikTok video criticizing the choice garnering nearly 500,000 views.
Merve Hickok, president of the Center for AI and Digital Policy, noted that while voice recreation can make public content more accessible, using it for private or personal content can be invasive.
Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, expressed mixed feelings, saying, “It feels strange because we know her real voice, so it’s a little off.”
The documentary aims to tell Petito’s story through her own words, but the use of AI technology raises ethical questions about privacy and consent.
As the debate continues, Hickok cautions filmmakers to consider the potential negative impacts of using such technology without clear regulations in place.
