Google Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Misuse of Voice Recordings for AI Training

​Google is facing a lawsuit in Illinois federal court from a group of journalists, podcasters, and audiobook narrators. The plaintiffs allege that Google misused thousands of hours of their voice recordings to train artificial intelligence models, including Google Assistant and Gemini Live, without their consent.

Key Highlights

• Google sued in Illinois for allegedly misusing voice recordings to train AI models.
• Plaintiffs include journalists and Pulitzer Prize winners seeking monetary damages.
• Lawsuit claims Google used thousands of hours of audio without consent.
• Similar lawsuits have been filed against other tech companies over AI training practices.

Lawsuit Details and Allegations

The plaintiffs include Chicago journalist Carol Marin and Pulitzer Prize winners Yohance Lacour and Alison Flowers. They filed a proposed class action on Monday, claiming Google violated their publicity and biometric data privacy rights under Illinois law. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages, though the amount is not specified.

The group accuses Google of scraping the internet for professionally produced, long-form, single-speaker audio. According to the lawsuit, this type of audio matches the profile Google describes as optimal for training its voice AI systems. The plaintiffs argue that Google used these recordings without permission to develop and enhance AI voices that replicate human speech.

Broader Context and Related Cases

This lawsuit is part of a broader trend of legal actions against technology companies over the use of creative works for AI training. Authors, news outlets, and other creators have filed similar lawsuits, alleging unauthorized use of their content.

In January, former NPR host David Greene filed a separate lawsuit against Google in California, also alleging misuse of his voice for AI training. Additionally, a group of voice actors has ongoing litigation against AI voiceover startup Lovo in New York, raising similar concerns about unauthorized use of voice recordings.

Legal Proceedings and Responses

The case is titled Marin v. Alphabet Inc, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, case number 1:26-cv-05436. The plaintiffs are represented by Ross Kimbarovsky, Jon Loevy, and Matthew Topic of Loevy & Loevy. Attorney information for Google is not yet available. Both Google and the plaintiffs' attorneys have not responded to requests for comment as of Tuesday.

This legal action highlights ongoing debates about consent, privacy, and the use of personal data in AI development. The outcome may influence how technology companies handle voice data in the future.