Sir Michael Parkinson’s son has defended the use of AI to recreate the late chat show host’s voice for a new series of interview podcasts.

Virtually Parkinson was produced by Deep Fusion Films with the support of Sir Michael’s family and estate.

The eight-episode series will see the Barnsley-born broadcaster, died last year at the age of 88, interact with a series of new guests.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, his son Mike Parkinson said he told producers he “really wanted to make it clear (to listeners) that this was an iteration of AI.”

However, the release of the podcast comes at a time when the use of AI in the creative arts is hotly debated, with many arguing that it should be used carefully and ethically, if at all.

Many broadcasters and film industry stakeholders are concerned about the risk AI poses to their livelihoods, as well as the complications of audiences confusing the AI ​​with the actual person or product.

In 2022, the Equity union launched a “Stop AI stealing the spotlight” campaign. The use of AI has been a major factor in the strikes that paralyzed Hollywood last year.

However, as Sir Michael is dead and therefore no longer has a livelihood to protect, the debate in this case is more about whether or not it is ethical to make him say things he does not. has ever said in real life, and also whether AI versions of reality hosts are something even listeners want.

Mike Parkinson said Deep Fusion co-creators Ben Field and Jamie Anderson “are 100% very ethical in their approach, they’re very aware of the legal and ethical issues, and they’re not going to try to pass this off as real”.

Recalling how the podcast was developed, Parkinson said: “Before he died, we (my father and I) talked about doing a podcast, and unfortunately he passed away before it came to fruition, so that’s when Deep Fusion intervenes.

“I came to them and said, ‘If we wanted to do this podcast with my dad talking about his archives, is that possible?’, and they said ‘It’s more than possible, we think we can do something more’.

He added that his father “would have been fascinated” by the project, while pointing out that the broadcaster himself was a “technophobe”.

Of his father’s new version of AI, Parkinson said: “It’s amazing what they’ve achieved, because I didn’t really think it would be as precise as that.”

Anderson, who was interviewed alongside Parkinson, added: “I don’t think it’s about being better.

“AI Michael is not replacing a presenter, it is a new podcast in which Sir Michael’s legacy lives on. So it does not take away the job of a presenter.”

This point will be disputed by many of today’s presenters. If a famous guest agrees to be interviewed by AI Sir Michael, this arguably removes the possibility of a different interview that could have been conducted by a living journalist.

“Distinguished guests”

Parkinson said one of his motivations was to “find a new, younger audience, who maybe weren’t aware of what my dad could do.”

“It’s a wonderful way to extend the life of someone who was a unique and outlier talent of his generation,” he added.

Explaining how the podcast works, Anderson said: “These are brand new interviews, and the AI ​​we’ve created is as close to the late Sir Michael as possible.

“He’s self-starter, so we let him start the interview and after that it’s over to AI Sir Michael, who is trained in Sir Michael’s style and interview questions.

He added: “We can’t tell you who the guests are yet, we have a few slots left, but they are remarkable and remarkable people.”

Sir Michael’s television career spanned seven decades and he interviewed the world’s biggest stars on his long-running chat show, which aired on the BBC and later on ITV.