Almost half a century after her death, novelist Agatha Christie is teaching an online course on how to write mysteries. Naturally, this is made possible with the help of AI. The course, titled “Agatha Christie: Writing”, is offered by BBC Maestro and covers 11 video modules, along with 12 writing exercises. According to BBC Maestro, the course is the culmination of over two years’ worth of work involving a team of almost 100 people, which include professionals academics, researchers, creative professionals, as well as scholars who have meticulously studied Christie’s works.
The “AI ghost” of the author was brought to life using original recordings, letters, and interviews, paired with a performance by actress Vivien Keene. Keene physically performed the course segments based on the novelist’s past on-camera appearances. Then, visual effects artists layered AI-generated facial features onto the actress’ face to create the version of Christie seen in the lessons.
As for the voice, AI synthetic voice developer Respeecher digitally reconstructed and cloned the writer’s voice using recordings of her actual voice. While the AI mimics the way the writer spoke, it only uses what she had actually said. Respeecher’s work previously included using AI to create dialogues for Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show for Disney+. Vader’s original voice actor, James Earl Jones, had reportedly allowed Disney to use this approach.
AI-driven “digital necromancy” is a contentious subject, with cases such as the use of an AI-cloned voice of Anthony Bourdain in a documentary after his passing drawing ire and criticism. But some instances of “reviving” individuals in this manner are done with permission, either from the person prior to their death, or living family members.
In this situation, BBC Maestro had acquired permission from Christie’s family to create the writing course on the condition the author’s likeness would not be used to present new opinions. The family was also heavily involved in its production, with Christie’s great-grandson, James Prichard, providing never-before-seen documentation and interviews as reference material.
(Source: TechRadar, BBC Maestro)
