Sevenoaks councillor with MND uses pioneering ‘robot voice’

KentOnline / KMTV

Nick Varley (Lib Dem), who represents Kippington on Sevenoaks district and town councils, was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder in November 2024.

Transcript

00:00I don't have a real voice anymore, so this phone is my voice.

00:04It may be a robotic voice, but this AI replica sounds just like Sevenoaks counsellor Nick

00:11Varley when he was first diagnosed with motor neuron disease back in 2024.

00:18When you get this kind of diagnosis, part of you thinks my life is over, and being able

00:31to do the work, still talk, and the stuff I teach about is amazing.

00:40Pioneered by the Motor Neuron Disease Association and London-based AI firm Eleven Labs, the app

00:47uses a sample Nick provided before the degenerative condition progressed to his mouth and throat,

00:55allowing him to speak clearly at meetings and continue to represent his constituents.

01:01This is the public debut of my new AI voice, so I hope that the technology works.

01:07It can be very emotional, because your voice is such a big part of you, and no one wants

01:21sound like a Stephen Hawking did it, so it's incredible.

01:28Motor Neuron Disease causes muscles to weaken, stiffen and waste, affecting how sufferers walk,

01:35talk and even breathe.

01:38About 5,000 adults in the UK are living with the life shortening condition at any one time,

01:46and there is currently no cure.

01:49But for Nick, who has raised thousands for charity since his diagnosis, there was only one way

01:55to react.

02:05Oli Lieder in Sevenoaks

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended