Google responds to claim that it stole NPR hosts voice

Radio host David Greene is suing Google, alleging that the tech giant copied his voice for its NotebookLM AI tool, the Washington Post and others reported — and Google has responded.

Greene is the former co-host of NPR’s Morning Edition and currently the host of the Left, Right, & Center podcast from the NPR member station KCRW. Greene found out about NotebookLM, which autogenerates podcasts, from a former coworker and was “completely freaked out,” he told the Post.

The complaint, which was filed on January 23 in California, states that Google “sought to replicate Mr. Greene’s distinctive voice — a voice made iconic over decades of decorated radio and public commentary — to create synthetic audio products that mimic his delivery, cadence, and persona.” The suit claims that Google violated California and common law statutory right to publicity, which concerns unauthorized uses of someone’s likeness, and California’s unfair competition law. It also alleges that Google unjustly benefited from Greene’s voice.

Google told the Post and other publications that NotebookLM has nothing to do with Greene. “These allegations are baseless,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda told Gizmodo. “The sound of the male voice in NotebookLM’s Audio Overviews is based on a paid professional actor Google hired.”

The use of people’s likeness in AI models, as well as the use of copyrighted materials to train models, has been a contentious topic in recent years. In 2024, OpenAI took down its AI-powered voice, Sky, after allegations that it sounded like Scarlett Johansson, who explicitly didn’t give the company permission to use her likeness. Several lawsuits have been launched against major tech and AI companies using copyrighted material to train their AI.

Back in January, major artists, including Johansson, launched a campaign against AI slop and theft.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.