Is it ethical? TV show uses AI voice of singer’s autistic daughter
Zhassulan Bazarbay, a Kazakh singer, became emotional during an interview on Khabar TV after hearing an AI-generated version of his daughter’s voice. The moment left the artist visibly moved, forcing him to pause the broadcast as he struggled to hold back tears.
Bazarbay’s daughter was diagnosed with autism when she was 2 years old. Now in her early teens, she has begun to speak gradually after years of therapy and consultations with specialists in Kazakhstan and abroad.
During the interview, journalists used artificial intelligence to recreate the girl’s voice and played a message expressing gratitude to her father.
«Maybe for some people it’s just technology, but for me it felt like a long-awaited dream had come true, if only for a moment,» Bazarbay later wrote on social media.
An emotional reaction
Following the broadcast, the singer apologized to viewers and the television channel for the lengthy pause and thanked the Khabar team for what he described as a warm and thoughtful gesture.
«I used to get irritated by people who cried on air,» he wrote. «It turns out that when something touches your heart, tears come involuntarily.»
Bazarbay later shared a video of his daughter singing, emphasizing that her progress is real and extends beyond any technological recreation.
«The tears in my eyes weren’t about feeling sorry for myself,» he wrote. «They were the emotions of a father’s heart.»
He added that his family accepts his daughter for who she is and thanked those who offered support following the broadcast.
Debate over AI and consent
The segment has also sparked discussion on social media about the ethics of using artificial intelligence to recreate the voice of a living person, particularly a child and a person with disabilities.
Some users criticized the broadcast, arguing that such a private moment should not have been aired and questioning whether the use of the technology was appropriate. Others described the segment as moving and heartfelt.
Reports circulating online suggest that Bazarbay himself supported the idea and later publicly thanked the journalists involved.
Regardless of the circumstances, the incident highlights broader questions surrounding the use of AI in deeply personal situations. As voice-cloning technology becomes more sophisticated and accessible, debates over consent, privacy and ethical boundaries are likely to become increasingly common.
Read also: More than a moment: The global shift toward Down syndrome inclusion in fashion.
