Netflix faces backlash for using AI-generated voice of Gabby Petito

Netflix is under fire on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) for using AI to recreate Gabby Petito’s voice in its new docuseries, “American Murder: Gabby Petito.”

The decision, which became apparent in the show’s first episode, has triggered outrage, with many asking whether it is ethical to digitally reconstruct the voice of a murder victim.

Gabby Petito’s story

The three-part documentary, released this week, covers the highly publicized 2021 murder of Gabby, a 22-year-old travel blogger who went missing while on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie.

Authorities later found Gabby’s strangled body in Wyoming , launching an intensive manhunt for Brian, who was declared a “person of interest” before vanishing himself.

Weeks later, his remains were discovered in a Florida nature reserve, along with a suicide note in which he confessed to killing Gabby.

Netflix included a disclaimer in the first episode, saying that Gabby’s journal entries and text messages were “brought to life in this series in her own voice, using voice recreation technology.” The AI-generated voice was used to narrate her personal writings.

Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro, the series’ directors and executive producers, told Us Weekly that they had received permission from Gabby’s family to use the technology. “We had so much material from her parents… all of her journals since she was young. She documented her trips and most of her life. We thought it was really important to bring that to life,” they said.

On TikTok, an influencer’s video condemning Netflix’s decision gained over 1,500,000 views in less than 24 hours, as many viewers agree that the use of AI was “a step too far.” Some commenters pointed out that Gabby’s real voice is available in her publicly shared videos, so why didn’t the filmmakers simply use those instead?

Nichole Schmidt, Gabby’s mother said that hearing the AI-generated voice was difficult for her family. Speaking to The Independent, she said, “I think it’s weird… because we know her actual voice. It’s a little off. It’s just hard to hear.”

In 2021, “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” faced the same kind of criticism for using AI to recreate Bourdain’s voice. The Director of that film, Morgan Neville, later admitted to using AI voice cloning, telling The New Yorker, “Viewers probably don’t know which lines are spoken by the AI model.”

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