ScotRail comes under increasing fire as it announces it will replace its AI voice on trains after passengers and experts call for the ‘robotic’ system to be scrapped ScotRail has been widely criticised and is now set to replace its AI voice. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

ScotRail Hits Back at Complainers Over AI Voice
A marketing image of the AI voice “Iona” that is used on ScotRail trains

The controversial system is due to to be replaced by March next year. RTBU welcomed ScotRail’s decision Comey called for carriages to be fitted with ‘human voices’ amid staff job cutserdingscame ‘Grot’ after ducking out of a direct debate Journeys will be controlled from a ‘signalling factory’ to save £1billion

ScotRail Reviews AI Voice Technology

ScotRail launched the AI voice, “Iona,” in May with Swedish tech partner ReadSpeaker. It sought to bring announcements into the modern age and to make them more clear. But passengers soon reacted negatively to the voice, calling the sound unnatural and unsettling.

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Scottish voice actor Gayanne Potter expressed her frustration. She says she never gave her explicit consent for her recordings to be used this way and calls the synthetic voice “dreadful.” Her comments kicked off a debate in the public about the ethics of AI.

ScotRail Considers Humanized Alternatives

Transport Scotland has confirmed ScotRail is to introduce a replacement. The agency said the process will “begin as soon as practicable,” but it was not immediately clear what the next version will include.

Potter’s fight with ReadSpeaker rages on as she maintains that the online recordings she made in 2021 were not for use by public railway systems, but accessibility tools and e-learning products. ReadSpeaker says it has provided responses to her concerns through legal discussions.

Trade union Equity warned about AI in creative industries, warning companies not to sideline human talent in favour of new tech tools.

ScotRail says it is unable to provide an exact date yet but said more information should become available soon. Officials said in an interview that they continue to stand for a balance of innovation and ethics in public services.

Source: www.bbc.com

Why is ScotRail changing the AI voice?

ScotRail is replacing the AI voice after the original voice actor and passengers complained about it being robotic and reading with a stilted tone.

What is the operator doing to try and make the announcements better?

And whether the company updates Replika with a human voice or some more sophisticated AI that comes with greater clarity and ethical protections, the company wants to be sure that the voice won’t sound like it’s giving orders to a naive preteen.

Who were the original people who did the voice clips for ScotRail?

The European version features original recordings done by Scottish voice actor Gayanne Potter, who has some disagreement on how her material was used by ReadSpeaker.

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