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ScotRail has new AI announcer after 'stolen voice' row

Jamie RussellBBC Scotland
News imageReadSpeaker An AI-generated image of the imagined woman behind the synthetic voice used on ScotRail trains. The woman has long, red hair and is wearing a brown scarf and a green coat. She is standing against a blurred background that looks like the Scottish outdoors with the shadow of mountains and moorland.ReadSpeaker
The AI announcer Iona was created using the voice of Gayanne Potter

ScotRail has launched a new AI onboard announcer using the voice of an employee following a row over a previous version.

Voiceover artist Gayanne Potter had complained that her voice was used without permission to help train the artificial intelligence announcer Iona.

She claims she was told her work for Swedish technology firm ReadSpeaker would be used for accessibility and e-learning software rather than wider commercial purposes.

Iona has now been replaced by another AI announcer, based on the voice of Paisley-based ScotRail employee Vannessa Sloan.

Ms Potter previously told BBC Scotland News it had been a surprise to hear a "dreadful" robotic version of herself.

"It's hard enough for people in the creative industry to sustain careers, but to be competing with a robotic version of yourself adds insult to injury," she said.

ReadSpeaker's technology uses AI to learn accents and speech patterns from voice recordings.

Automated announcements are based on voice recordings of ScotRail employee Vannessa

The new announcer uses the voice of Ms Sloan, who works in the operator's customer information team. ScotRail said she was already a trusted and familiar presence for passengers.

Phil Campbell, customer operations director, said the new system was "modern, reliable, and ethically produced".

"Our people are at the heart of everything we do, so it's fitting that the new voice of ScotRail comes from within our own team," he said.

Ms Sloan recorded hundreds of words, sentences, sounds, and stations - many with challenging Scottish pronunciations - across 18 studio sessions.

ScotRail previously told BBC News the tricky place names such as Milngavie and Achnasheen were inputted phonetically as "Mill-guy" and "Akna-sheen" to help the software avoid embarrassing mistakes.

Ms Sloan was selected after an internal search in which eight staff members recorded sample announcements.

The new voice is already available on Class 380 trains with a wider rollout planned for 2026 that will fully replace the current Iona announcements.

News imageGayanne is in a recording booth with black foam panels. She is sat beside her silver microphone which his hanging upside down with a black pop shield in front. She has brown hair, blue eyes and is wearing a blue top that says "The Bubbling Toad."
Gayanne Potter says she did not give permission for her voice to be used in the original version

Ms Potter's dispute with ScotRail and ReadSpeaker was raised with First Minister John Swinney in June and was later acknowledged by Transport Scotland.

However, she said there was limited action she could take because the contracted work pre-dated modern voice cloning, and because the firm was based in Sweden.

Jennifer Cass, a partner at law firm Dentons, previously told BBC News there was a gap when it came to protections against AI usage.

She said copyright extended to literary and artistic works but not "likeness or image", including voice.

ReadSpeaker said it was aware of Ms Potter's concerns and had "comprehensively addressed them with her legal representative several times in the past".

According to ReadSpeaker's website, the Iona voice is still available for commercial sale alongside male-equivalent "Aidan".