Baroness Campbell uses AI-generated voice in House of Lords
Baroness Jane Campbell has used an AI-generated version of her own voice in the House of Lords, in what she described as a first for any legislative body, as speaking becomes harder.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Baroness Jane Campbell has delivered a speech in the House of Lords using an AI-generated version of her own voice, in what she described as a historic first for a legislative body. The life peer, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, lives with spinal muscular atrophy, a muscle-wasting condition that makes speaking at length increasingly difficult.
For years, an assistant read her speeches in Parliament. The House of Lords allowed that arrangement from 2012. Now an AI voice generator has been used to recreate her voice from past interviews, allowing her to address peers directly in a voice that is recognisably her own.
She introduced the speech by saying: "So my Lords, may I introduce you to Baroness Campbell, part two." She then told peers: "My Lords, I welcome this bill and share much of its vision." In the speech, she said: "This speech is historic in its delivery. For the first time in any legislative body in the world, an AI voice generator was used."
Baroness Campbell said the voice was not robotic and not someone else's. "It's my voice, harvested from all these interviews that I used to do," she said. She called the effect "quite spooky" and "almost like a bit of a time machine", adding that it made her sound young.
She used the speech to argue for the rights of disabled people. "We are individuals with the right to control our lives, choosing what we do and who supports us," she said. She thanked peers for their understanding and noted that the House of Lords has made adaptations before. Despite its old-fashioned image, she described the chamber as one of the most inclusive environments she has worked in.
Baroness Campbell has taken the nickname RoboPeer. She said: "I am not a medical diagnosis, but a wife, grandparent and working member of the House of Lords." Her ability to speak may worsen, but the AI voice means her voice will continue to be heard in Parliament for many years to come.
The development puts a focus on accessibility and the use of synthetic speech in parliamentary proceedings.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Baroness Campbell has spinal muscular atrophy, which makes speaking at length increasingly difficult. | |
| Baroness Campbell used an AI voice generator in the House of Lords and described it as the first such use in a legislative body worldwide. | |
| The AI voice used by Baroness Campbell was harvested from her past interviews and was her own voice rather than someone else's. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1 gave the story a warm human-interest treatment. It focused on Baroness Campbell's personal experience, the historic first, and the practical accessibility step after years of having speeches read by an assistant. The tone was supportive, with no scrutiny of the technology or possible concerns about synthetic speech in Parliament.
- “This speech is historic in its delivery. For the first time in any legislative body in the world, an AI voice generator was used.”
- “It's not robotic voice. It's not someone else's voice. It's my voice, harvested from all these interviews that I used to do.”
- “People often think of the House of Lords as an old-fashioned, traditional group of people, wearing robes, covered in cobwebs. But it's one of the most inclusive environments that I have ever worked in.”
Broadcast Timeline
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