United KingdomLogistics and transport2025 – ongoingScotRail
AI onboard announcements and replacement of the Iona voice
ScotRail replaced its disputed Iona announcer with an AI voice based on an employee
Problem
ScotRail's Iona announcer faced complaints about its sound. Actor Gayanne Potter also disputed the use of her voice data, saying she had not understood it would be sold for that purpose.
Approach
ScotRail introduced a replacement based on customer information employee Vannessa Sloan's voice. She recorded material for the synthetic announcer, which debuted on Class 380 trains in December 2025. Further fleet deployment was planned for 2026.
Results
No published figures
Takeaway
ScotRail withdrew the disputed voice while continuing to use AI announcements. Replacing the voice did not establish whether passengers preferred the new system.
Categories
- Industry
- Logistics and transport
- Business function
- Customer service
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Conversational and voice AIGenerative AI
- Adoption
- Vendor solution
- Evidence
- Press reporting
Sources
Source summaries
Holyrood reported the replacement announcer's debut and the earlier dispute over Iona's voice data. It described Sloan's recordings and quoted ScotRail's explanation for continuing automated announcements.
Full details are in the original sources.
