NPR Host Sues Google Over AI Voice Replication

David Greene, a veteran public radio host known for his work on NPR's Morning Edition, has filed a lawsuit against Google alleging the company replicated his voice without permission for its artificial intelligence tool NotebookLM. The suit, lodged in Santa Clara County Superior Court in California last month, claims the technology violates Greene's rights by enabling users to generate podcasts featuring a synthetic voice that closely mimics his distinctive delivery.

Greene first learned of the issue in fall 2024, shortly after Google released NotebookLM's Audio Overviews feature. The tool allows users to create on-demand podcasts summarizing documents, with two virtual hosts—one male and one female—engaging in conversational banter. A former colleague emailed Greene asking if he had licensed his voice to Google, noting the striking similarity. Upon listening, Greene recognized familiar elements in the male voice, including its cadence, intonation, and occasional filler words like "uhs" and "likes" that he had long tried to refine.

"I was, like, completely freaked out," Greene said. "It's this eerie moment where you feel like you're listening to yourself." Messages soon flooded...