21 September 2023 , 08:18
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Broadcaster Stephen Fry shared a disturbing discovery with fans during a talk at a tech-based festival in London, moments before falling six feet off the stage at The O2. The 66-year-old British icon played a clip of a programme that was seemingly narrated by him, but it was actually the result of digital cloning.
Speaking at the CogX Festival, Stephen issued a warning about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) to his profession, explaining that the voice work he provided as the narrator of the audio novels of the Harry Potter book series was stolen and used to create other spoken word for a history documentary that he had no involvement in.
"I said not one word of that – it was a machine," Stephen told the audience. "Yes, it shocked me. They used my reading of the seven volumes of the Harry Potter books, and from that dataset an AI of my voice was created and it made that new narration. What you heard was not the result of a mashup. This is from a flexible artificial voice, where the words are modulated to fit the meaning of each sentence. It could therefore have me read anything from a call to storm Parliament to hard porn, all without my knowledge and without my permission."
The comedian and actor continued: "And this, what you just heard, was done without my knowledge. So I heard about this, I sent it to my agents on both sides of the Atlantic, and they went ballistic - they had no idea such a thing was possible." He went on to explain his fear that "full deepfake videos" of actors performing in roles they did not film could soon be created in a similar way.
Stephen explained that his voice work from the Harry Potter book series had been used by AI for a programme without his knowledge (Pottermore Publishing)After Stephen had finished up his speech and was exiting the stage, he tumbled from the edge of the floor and was reportedly taken to hospital to be treated for his injuries - the extent of and seriousness have not yet been made public. Reports have stated that Stephen suffered injuries to his rib and leg and had to leave the venue in a wheelchair following his horror fall.
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An audience member has spoken to the MailOnline after witnessing the incident - which took place at the AI conference that cost £495 to attend. The source told the outlet: "It looked like it was too dark and there didn't look like there was a handrail. He fell two metres to the floor. He looked to have been hurt as he had to leave in a wheelchair." Stephen was a top speaker at the London event - which itself was billed as "the festival of inspiration, impact and transformational change."
Among topics being discussed was the impact that AI might have on the world of cinema. The festival website warned: "We're at a turning point where Generative AI's limitless potential meets cinema. As we navigate this era of rapid innovation, the balance between progress and ethics becomes critical. Join us for enlightening dialogues and live demonstrations, and help shape a transformative, ethically-balanced future for the moving image."