The BBC has issued a statement that offers important context to Sara Poyzer’s viral social media posts. The British broadcaster said it is using AI technology in a “highly sensitive documentary” to represent the voice of a person who is nearing the end of their life.
Poyzer was penciled in for the job, but her services are no longer required as the BBC attempts to honor the wishes of the contributor’s family by dedicating a brief — and clearly signposted — section of the documentary to recreating “a voice which can now no longer be heard.”
It’s amazing how context matters on these things, because I was pretty peeved for her when I saw the original article.
Her comment feels a little callous and manipulative with this context, but I am going to give the benefit of the doubt that she didn’t have these details when she made her post.