AI Jimmy Stewart Project Sparks Backlash: 'Despicable'

The use of a new artificial intelligence-generated voice of Jimmy Stewart some 26 years after his death has been branded "despicable" by fans of the late Hollywood legend.

With the blessing of Stewart's family and estate, the voice of the It's a Wonderful Life star, which was recreated through voice-cloning technology, can now be heard in a new bedtime story on the Calm sleep and medication app.

A version of the revered actor's distinctive tones can be heard on It's a Wonderful Sleep Story, which Calm has described "a heartwarming new holiday tale." It premiered on the Calm app on Tuesday.

"Well, hello. I'm James Stewart. But, well, you can call me Jimmy," the voice says as the story begins. "Tonight, I'm going to tell you a story. It's a heartwarming story of love, of loss, of hope and of joy. But most of all, it's a wonderful sleep story."

Per Variety, Kelly Stewart Harcourt, one of Stewart's daughters, said in a statement: "We are excited for our dad to be the voice of Calm's latest Sleep Story. It's amazing what technology can do and wonderful to see Dad's legacy live on this holiday season in new ways, like helping people find restful sleep and sweet dreams."

The bedtime story was developed by Calm in collaboration with AI voice-cloning startup Respeecher, the company that recreated James Earl Jones' Darth Vader voice for Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+, and Mark Hamill's portrayal of Luke Skywalker for The Mandalorian.

The move sees AI Stewart—who died in 1997 aged 89—join a host of stars who have narrated stories for Calm, including LeBron James, Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Matthew McConaughey, Harry Styles, Jennifer Garner, Regé-Jean Page, Levar Burton, Nick Offerman and Michael Bublé.

However, the artificial resurrection of Stewart's voice has sparked backlash on social media, with a number of fans voicing their disapproval on X, formerly Twitter.

"This is just despicable," said one detractor. "Jimmy Stewart is my favorite actor and this is just disgusting. He was a masterful actor and a good man. This is wrong. Also, the clips I've listened to sound like a bad Jimmy Stewart impression. There's none of the warmth or heart that was in his voice."

"Unless Mr. Jimmy Stewart steps forward and gives his permission for the use of his voice on this app, we respectfully decline," said another X user, who rounded out their post with hashtags that included "#TechGoneWild."

Questioned another: "Why would you do this when you can listen to Jimmy Stewart's actual spoken word album, where he recites poems he wrote about his dead dog and a safari he went on where a hyena ate his camera?"

British author and public historian Greg Jenner called the move "terrifying," adding: "I'm no Jimmy Stewart, obviously, but there's 150 hours of my voice recorded, and the fact I could be made to say anything isn't very reassuring."

"I mean, I get that this was signed off with the consent of his family and estate. However, it still feels wrong for them to even sign off of this, given AI tech of this scale never existed when Jimmy Stewart was alive," another commented.

Another shared video footage from 1987 of Ginger Rogers reading out a letter at a Senate meeting from Stewart, who opposed the colorizing of black and white films.

"There's no way Jimmy Stewart would be okay with AI using his voice. He was vocally against people tampering with his work and image," the X user wrote.

In his letter, Stewart called the move "morally and artistically wrong," and added that "those profiteers should leave our film industry alone."

Another detractor used the news as a warning for Hollywood actors, who recently returned to work following a lengthy strike where AI was one of the sticking points.

"#JimmyStewart's estate owns his voice," they wrote. "In the proposed @AMPTP [Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers] contract, you'll be signing over ownership of your voice to the Studios—while you're alive that is. When you die, unless you opt out, #SAGAFTRA [Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists] takes ownership [of] your voice. Executive's Pensions need funding."

Framing the use of AI as a lost opportunity for working actors, another said: "There are dozens of brilliant union voiceover actors in America who could also nail Jimmy Stewart's voice who did not get this job."

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Calm via email for comment.

Amid the flood of complaints, an X user shared a positive reaction to the announcement, writing: "This is exactly the proper use of AI. This job is not taking work away from the corpse of Jimmy Stewart. And the rights to use of his voice belong to his estate & family, who gave permission & presumably were compensated. The issue isn't use of AI; it's who owns the rights.

A voice actor was used by Respeecher to recreate Stewart's voice, per Variety. The actor mimicked Stewart's speech style as they performed the lines from the story.

"It was essential, like in all other projects, that the project was done according to high ethical standards and respect, which Respeecher has advocated for many years," said Respeecher CEO and co-founder Alex Serdiuk. "James Stewart is one of the most remarkable actors in U.S. history. Recreating his voice with AI was both a huge responsibility and an honor for Respeecher. It was a way to pay tribute to his incredible career and all the good memories he left to people."