Is it ethical? TV show uses AI voice of singer’s autistic daughter - Kursiv Media Казахстан:…

On June 6, 2026, Kazakh singer Zhasulan Bazarbayev experienced an emotional encounter on Khabar TV when journalists used artificial intelligence to generate a voice message from his teenage daughter. The girl, who was diagnosed with autism at age two and has been nonverbal, has only recently begun to speak through extensive therapy. The broadcast featured an AI-generated message of gratitude from the daughter to her father, causing the singer to pause the interview as he became visibly moved.

What happened

The production team at Khabar TV utilized voice-cloning technology to synthesize the girl’s voice for a segment during an interview with her father. Upon hearing the output, Bazarbayev struggled to hold back tears, later describing the moment as a long-awaited dream. Following the broadcast, the singer publicly thanked the team for the gesture, emphasizing that while the technology was impressive, his daughter's actual progress in speech remains a significant personal achievement.

However, the incident triggered a wider debate on social media regarding the ethics of using AI to recreate the voices of children and individuals with disabilities. Critics questioned the appropriateness of using such technology for a private, sensitive family matter and raised concerns about consent and the boundaries of digital recreation. While some viewers found the segment touching, others argued that the use of AI in this context crossed ethical lines. The incident highlights the growing tension between the emotional utility of sophisticated voice-cloning tools and the fundamental need for privacy and ethical standards when handling the identities of vulnerable individuals.