The primary episode of a podcast hosted by AI replicating Sir Michael Parkinson has been launched – and comic and podcaster Jenny Eclair has branded it a “terrible, terrible idea”.
The podcast Nearly Parkinson sees AI know-how synthetically recreate the late presenter’s voice and magnificence to interview real-life celebrities.
Identified for his interviews with the world’s largest stars, Parkinson died in 2023 aged 88, following a quick sickness.
The primary episode launched on Monday noticed the Parkinson AI converse to R&B singer Jason Derulo, who was answering questions on his upbringing, fatherhood and fracturing a part of his neck.
Eclair, who co-hosts the podcast Older and Wider with Judith Holder, mentioned it made her “furious”.
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Jenny Eclair, pictured in 2015, co-hosts the podcast Older and Wider. Pic: PA
Talking concerning the podcast on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Eclair, 64, mentioned: “I’m furious, because there are living people like me who’ve still got mortgages, I’ve just actually mostly got rid of mine.
“However there’s not sufficient room. I do know he was dearly liked and that form of factor however there’s a great deal of again catalogue content material that folks will help themselves to.
“This is a terrible, terrible idea, we’re all fighting over the same space you know, the podcasts and the telly, and everybody’s desperately trying to say ‘me over here, please listen to my stuff’.
“I’ve received a podcast and I do not assume I can compete with Michael Parkinson, even when he isn’t residing and respiratory.”
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Michael Parkinson and Dame Helen Mirren. Pic: Rex
Nearly Parkinson’s producers Deep Fusion Movies, who created the present with the assist and involvement of Parkinson’s household and property, mentioned: “Jenny’s comments are precisely why the podcast was created, AI is a subject which people have strong opinions about, but is AI as scary as people think it is?
“Is it actually coming for folks’s jobs? Nearly Parkinson exists to discover the connection between AI and people, it merely could not try this with out having an AI host, so this isn’t a case of an AI changing a human job.
“In fact, the podcast is launched at a time when the creative sector has been hit very hard and many find themselves out of work and Virtually Parkinson has created 15 jobs, which otherwise wouldn’t have existed.”
‘A tribute to my dad’
It was Parkinson’s son, Mike Parkinson, who reached out to the corporate with the thought of making the podcast as a technique to protect his father’s legacy, calling it “a tribute to my dad”.
Deep Fusion was already utilizing AI know-how – dubbed “Squawk” – to permit stay people to talk with voices from the previous.
When Mike Parkinson reached out, Deep Fusion drew from a again catalogue of greater than 2,000 of his father’s interviews to recreate his voice and interview approach.
The corporate additionally expanded to create the undertaking, hiring a brand new head of artistic AI, an AI immediate engineer, researchers, visitor bookers, podcast producers, and a sound engineer.
When the podcast was first introduced final yr, Mike Parkinson mentioned: “I want audiences to marvel at the technology, the cleverness and cheekiness of the concept, but mostly I want them to remember just how good he was at interviewing and enjoy the nostalgia and happy memories.
“By this platform, his legacy can proceed, entertaining a brand new era of followers.”
Podcast comes as government embraces AI future
The show’s launch has coincided with the government’s pledge to “mainline AI into the veins” of the UK, claiming that if AI is “absolutely embraced”, it might carry £47bn to the financial system yearly.
Saying his targets to make the UK “the world leader” in AI, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer mentioned: “Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people.
“However the AI business wants a authorities that’s on their aspect, one that will not sit again and let alternatives slip by means of its fingers. And in a world of fierce competitors, we can’t stand by. We should transfer quick and take motion to win the worldwide race.”
