Virtually Parkinson: Sir Michael Parkinson to be resurrected by AI for podcast

• Voice of the late Sir Michael Parkinson has been recreated by AI for a podcast. 
• Virtually Parkinson will be an unscripted show featuring interviews with guests. 
• It has the backing of Sir Michael’s family - and episodes will signpost that the host is an AI. 

The warm familiar tones of Sir Michael Parkinson will be coming to a podcast service near you - but it comes with a controversial twist. The voice of the legendary interviewer has been resurrected with AI and apparently it's so convincing it even fooled his own family. 

The iconic chatshow host died at the age of 88 in 2023, but a digital replica of his voice will be hosting a new podcast. Virtually Parkinson will see a cohort of new guests interviewed in Sir Michael’s famous relaxed style, according to The Guardian. 

It is being described as an ‘unscripted’ eight-part series and was made by Deep Fusion Films. The show is believed to be the first podcast to be entirely presented by an AI-host - which does make it sound a tad like a Black Mirror episode. 

So, how will Virtually Parkinson work exactly? 

The announcement of the podcast touted that the AI-host of the show will sound just like Sir Michael and will be able to interview guests in his signature style. Whether that is a good thing or not, I will leave that up to you. 

A release date has not been confirmed but it is supposedly due to arrive later this year. The interviews are said to be “unscripted”. 

According to the Guardian, the AI-voice is based on hours and hours of old Sir Michael interviews. The website reports that the start of each episode will clearly signpost that the host is AI-generated. 

What has been said about the podcast? 

Virtually Parkinson has the backing of Sir Michael’s family. His son Mike told The Guardian: “We’re going for a new generation of guest talent, but that doesn’t mean he would not go back again to people he interviewed before. 

“Doing this now, trying something so new, we feel a bit like he must have felt back in 1971 when his show started.”

According to Sir Michael’s son the voice of the AI-host is not an approximation of his voice. It is his voice. 

He explained: “It’s exactly how he delivered his questions – even the pacing is the same. It stills people when they hear it.”

Ben Field, co-founder of Deep Fusion Films, added: “We do not ever instruct the AI what to say. We just asked him to say “hello” after feeding in everything we know about Michael Parkinson to bring him back as authentically as possible.”

This is not the first digital resurrection of a beloved British media figure this year. Ian Holmes was controversially recreated for Alien: Romulus, the latest entry in the storied franchise, despite having died in 2020. 

What do you think of AI being used to bring back Sir Michael Parkinson? Share your thoughts by emailing me: [email protected].