Channel 10 news presenter Sandra Sully's voice was replicated by artificial intelligence and used in a podcast without her permission. The AI-generated version of her voice was utilized in a true crime podcast to read a headline about a child abuse case.
On Wednesday, Sully, 59, appeared on The Project to express her shock at hearing the 'fake' version of her well-known voice. She confirmed to The Project's Sarah Harris that she had not recorded the segment and was taken aback by how close the AI replication was to her actual voice. Colleagues who listened to the AI-generated segment also noted its uncanny resemblance to Sully's voice.
Sully remarked that while she did not feel violated, the incident left her feeling alarmed and concerned about the potential misuse of AI-generated voices, especially considering the impact on trusted news sources. Sully joined Channel 10 News in 1990 and was the first Australian journalist to report the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She currently presents 10 News First Sydney. During the podcast, producers clarified that using an AI-generated voice without permission is not technically illegal.