Yes, lots of photos of retired people, obviously AI….health funds, retirement homes etc….

That's an interesting observation about the Bankwest TV ad! You're right; there's been quite a bit of discussion around the voice-over used in their new "Just Enough Bank" campaign.

Many people, including industry experts, have indeed noted the distinct AI-like quality of the voice. In fact, the creative agency behind the ads, Bear Meets Eagle On Fire, has confirmed that they intentionally used an AI voiceover for the campaign.

Here's what's been reported about it:

• Intentional Choice: The agency stated that they experimented with various voices, aiming for something "more scientific than emotional" and found that the "monotone, unattached audio" of the AI voice worked best to juxtapose with the visuals and add a unique, and at times humorous, element to the observations in the ads.
• Disconnected and Dispassionate: They described the chosen AI voice as "disconnected" and "dispassionate," which they felt made the campaign more memorable.
• Not About the Technology Initially: Interestingly, the agency clarified that the decision wasn't driven by a desire to use AI technology itself, but rather because the characteristics of that specific AI voice happened to fit the creative concept they were aiming for.

So, your "AI vibes" were spot on! It's a deliberate creative choice in the Bankwest advertising campaign.

Generally speaking, AI-generated voices are becoming increasingly sophisticated and are being used in various applications.

It grates on me - it grates so much that I feel repulsed by the entire thing. Creative preference my derrière; it’s the cost among other things. Real humans who are gifted voice artists are being edged out, to the detriment of the message.

The whole thing suggests to me that Bankwest can’t be trusted to provide in-person service.

Chair yoga ads on YouTube.

Have you seen them?

Ludicrous! They’re obvious examples of AU-generated material – both visual and audio content.

It’s been researched since the 1950s, with long periods of fallow nothingness … then a resurgence… then more stumbling blocks … and then about ten-twenty years ago things started kicking off. It was in 2022 that AI seriously came into its own.

That’s the iteration of what is generally considered the big boom and genuine birth of publicly utilised AI. That’s when all the theoretical considerations of ethics re AI became practical… and humankind has yet to really address this / solve this.