even if she wasn’t a fan of most of them). There’s something to be said about how her stories, many of which dabble in the darkness lurking within our internal shadows, still strike a chord with readers. The words speak for themselves, but a concerning new development from the BBC indicates that the ones from Christie’s mouth will be spoken by a computer program.
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Today, BBC Studios announced that it has collaborated with the Agatha Christie estate to launch a writing course on their education-based streaming service BBC Maestro. It sounds like a great idea until the revelation that it will use an AI likeness of the famed author to impart these lessons (via The Hollywood Reporter):
“Using meticulously restored archival interviews, private letters and writings researched by a team of Christie experts, this pioneering course reconstructs Christie’s own voice and insights, guiding you through the art of suspense, plot twists and unforgettable characters.”
That’s a whole lot of words to essentially say that Christie is yet another artificial resurrection from the grave. Actress Vivien Keene, who once played a key role in the stage production of Christie’s “The Mousetrap,” will embody a framework of the famed author with AI technology taking over her physical and vocal attributes. It makes you wonder what the point of sifting through hundreds of actors to find the closest authenticity of Christie’s likeness was all about when they’re just going to cover Keene in digital makeup anyways.
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