NPR Veteran Claims Google Copied His Signature Voice

David Greene, the familiar voice behind NPR's "Morning Edition" for years, is taking legal action against tech giant Google. The veteran broadcaster alleges that the male voice in Google's NotebookLM audio features bears an uncanny resemblance to his own distinctive delivery.

"They Thought It Was Me"

The current host of KCRW's "Left, Right & Center" says the controversy began when NotebookLM rolled out its podcast feature. "My inbox flooded with messages," Greene explains. "Friends, former colleagues—even my barber asked if I'd secretly recorded something for Google."

After listening carefully, Greene became convinced the AI wasn't just similar—it mirrored his speech patterns down to characteristic pauses and verbal tics like his trademark "um" interjections. "My voice isn't just sound waves," he told reporters. "It's how listeners have known me for decades."

Google Pushes Back

The search company firmly denies Greene's claims. A spokesperson told The Washington Post that NotebookLM's voices come from professional actors under contract—not radio personalities. "We take intellectual property seriously," the statement read, though Google declined to name their voice talent.

This isn't Silicon Valley's first brush with vocal controversy. Earlier this year, OpenAI removed ChatGPT's "Sky" voice after users noted similarities to Scarlett Johansson's performance in Her. That situation escalated when Johansson herself objected publicly.

Why This Case Matters

The lawsuit raises thorny questions about where inspiration ends and imitation begins in the AI era:

• How similar can synthetic voices legally be to real people?
• Should public figures have special protections?
• Who owns the rights to vocal mannerisms we develop over careers?

Legal experts predict more cases like Greene's as AI tools proliferate. Some states already have laws against unauthorized digital replicas of individuals—but enforcement remains murky.

Key Points:

• NPR veteran David Greene sues Google over NotebookLM voice similarity
• Claims friends mistook AI for his actual recordings
• Google maintains they use professional actors' voices only
• Follows recent ChatGPT-Scarlett Johansson controversy
• Case tests boundaries of voice replication ethics