Moving Creativity Forward

The Supreme Court began recording its oral arguments in 1955. Unfortunately, the court’s most celebrated case—Brown v. Board of Education—was decided in 1954, meaning there is no audio record of the hearing where the constitutionality of school segregation was argued, or the day 70 years ago when Chief Justice Earl Warren read from the bench his entire opinion declaring that, “in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place.” – The Wall Street Journal

The second outing of the hugely successful BBC drama The Capture saw a return to the world of high level international corruption, deepfakes and disinformation. As part of the campaign to promote the new series, BBC Creative teamed up with AI audio specialists Respeecher and BBC Radio 1 to have some AI fun on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show. Thanks to the type of groundbreaking tech featured in the drama, the audience was left wondering: was it Greg James as usual... or was it Deepfake Greg?– Campaign

For Ukraine's tech startups, the last two years have been anything but business as usual. Despite drone strikes and a battered war-time economy, cities like Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa remain home to a thriving tech ecosystem. As the war grinds on, a number of Ukraine's entrepreneurs have been fighting their own battle with Russia. – Daily Mail

The sleep and meditation app Calm released a new story featuring the late actor’s signature drawl — or a computer-generated version of it. The sleep and meditation app Calm on Tuesday released a new story for premium users told by Mr. Stewart, the beloved actor who starred in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” But the voice in their ear lulling them to sleep is not from Mr. Stewart, who died in 1997. It is a version of his signature drawl generated by artificial intelligence.– The New York Times

Ukrainian synthetic voice startup Respeecher is finding success despite not just bombs raining down on their city, but a wave of hype that has raised up sometimes controversial competitors. A new $1 million in funding should help the company add a few studios to its media and gaming clients. – TechCrunch

In the current climate surrounding AI content in films, TV shows, and games, I was surprised at how upfront Respeecher is about its work in Cyberpunk 2077. The Ukrainian-based studio is best known for bringing back young Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, where the debate involved not only ethics but quality too. – TheGamer

A Ukrainian company that used AI to re-create a deceased actor's voice for the video game expansion Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty says their technology can transform the field of voice acting without leaving humans out of the process.– Axios

Thanks to generative AI technology, you can now listen to a soothing Christmas bedtime story told by the late legendary actor Jimmy Stewart. Stewart, star of “It’s a Wonderful Life” who died in 1997, is the voice behind a new audio story released Tuesday on the sleep and meditation app Calm. Generative AI helps to imitate Stewart’s distinctive tone, replicated with the approval of the actor’s family and estate, managed by CMG Worldwide. – CNN Business

RTL zeigt „Neue Geschichten vom Pumuckl“. Der Kobold ist agil wie eh und je. Und er spricht dank Künstlicher Intelligenz mit der Stimme des verstorbenen Hans Clarin. Das dürfte Nostalgiker und auch die Jüngsten begeistern. – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Warner Music has partnered with the Estate of legendary French artist, Edith Piaf, on what it calls groundbreaking AI technology to recreate her voice and image. As part of the partnership, Warner Music Entertainment and production company, Seriously Happy, will develop what they claim to be “the first animated biopic of an artist using AI”. – Music Business Worldwide

The voices sound like well-known personalities, the music features trendy dance beats and hip-hop syncopations, and the jokes and laughter are contagious. But listeners of an offbeat Swiss public radio station repeatedly got the message on Thursday: Today’s programming is brought to you by Artificial Intelligence.– Fortune