These AI Avatars in a Netflix True Crime Doc Are Disturbing Viewers

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A woman with long red hair looks concerned in a dimly lit room. The background is blurred with a glowing lamp, and the words "Digitally Anonymised" appear in the top right corner.

Netflix is facing backlash after a true crime documentary published on the streaming service last month made heavy use of artificial intelligence (AI).

The Investigation of Lucy Letby examines the case of British neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, who was convicted of murdering seven infants in 2023. When two of the interviewees, “Sarah” and “Maisie”, appear on screen a “digitally anonymized” label is shown. Maisie is presented as one of Letby’s friends, while Sarah is the mother of one of the victims.

Given the technology’s unpopularity, the producers of the show haven’t been forthcoming about exactly how they implemented AI. Esquire reports that both Sarah and Maisie were fully AI-generated, while People suggests that it is an AI overlay, like a “real-time filter that can be layered on top of videos or other media asset.” Either way, they are convincing deepfakes. PetaPixel has reached out to Netflix for confirmation.

A woman with dark hair and bangs is speaking indoors. She has light eyes and is wearing a dark shirt. The background is softly lit, with some plants and kitchen items visible.

Two women in black dresses lie side by side on a wooden floor, smiling at the camera. Another photo beside them shows the same women standing outdoors by the water, both dressed in black.

On Tudum, Netflix explains that the use of technology was a “creative decision by the filmmakers, with consent from the two participants, to uphold their anonymity either by request or due to court order.”

But viewers of the show say they found the inclusion of the AI unsettling and distracting. “It really took me out of it watching these AI people move and speak,” writes one Redditor. “I understand their reasoning for doing it but then I don’t understand why the shadowed figure with the altered voice couldn’t have been used instead. It still anonymizes the person without that weird disconnect AI creates. I was finding that the AI would make weird facial expressions that didn’t match the tone of what was being said, and often had this robotic dead look in the eyes.”

A woman with dark hair and bangs, wearing a white shirt, looks down thoughtfully indoors. The background shows blurred windows with curtains. The words "Digitally Anonymised" appear in the top right corner.

Others questioned why actors weren’t hired to play the parts. “The AI used in place of the victims cheapened the documentary and stripped it of its humanity — there is still a place for REAL ACTORS and always will be,” writes one person beneath the YouTube trailer for the film.

Last week, an AI film was pulled from theaters following a backlash online. The unpopularity of AI is proving to be a headache for studios keen to use the technology.

Image credits: The Investigation of Lucy Letby / Netflix

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