ScotRail launches new AI announcer

ScotRail has launched a refreshed artificial intelligence (AI) service for onboard announcements.

The refresh comes after a controversy earlier this year, when Scottish artist Gayanne Potter said her voice had been used as a basis to develop an earlier version of the system, named Iona, without her consent.

Potter had done a recording for a Swedish company called ReadSpeaker in 2021, which then sold that recording to ScotRail. Potter believed the recording would be used to train accessibility and e-learning software, but was unaware her contract allowed her voice to be sold for AI purposes years later.

At the time, Potter posted on Facebook to say: “I discovered last week that ScotRail’s new horrible AI train announcer Iona is in fact using my voice data - and nobody told me.”

The new announcer uses the voice of ScotRail employee Vannessa Sloan, who works in the operator's customer information team. Sloan recorded hundreds of words, sentences, sounds and stations across 18 studio sessions to create the voice.  

Phil Campbell, ScotRail customer operations director, said: “Our people are at the heart of everything we do, so it’s fitting that the new voice of ScotRail comes from within our own team. Vannessa is already a trusted and familiar voice for customers at stations, and we’re delighted that her voice is now part of the announcements that will be made on our Class 380 trains.”

The original AI announcement system faced pushback from the public, who took to social media to say the system sounded “weird” and “unnatural”.

Cambell said: “The use of an automated voice allows us to have more control over the announcements being made, ensures consistency for customers, and gives us flexibility to make changes at short notice.”

In the aftermath of the original AI announcer controversy, Tory MSP Sandesh Gulhane asked First Minister John Swinney about the use of an AI-generated voice on ScotRail services. The first minister acknowledged the issue had caused “some controversy” but said he was “sure” ScotRail was “engaging with all concerned”.

The announcements are debuting on Class 380 trains with a further rollout to more trains within ScotRail’s fleet planned to follow in 2026.