Warhol's 15 Minutes Extended by Artificial Intelligence

Words by
Lee Cassanell

1st March 2022

Ryan Murphy's new Netflix series will be narrated by a computer recreation of the supreme Pop Artist. 

A new six-part docu-series based of the diaries of Andy Warhol is coming to Netflix. Produced by Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story) and directed by Andrew Rossi (Page One: Inside the New York Times), Warhol's friend, Pat Hackett kept diary entries of transcriptions of their conversations, which resulted in the posthumously published memoirs that inspired the series.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Rossi revealed he used AI to create a text-to-speech algorithm that would recreate Warhol’s speech. Rossi then had actor Bill Irwin (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) record the lines, which were fused with the digital voice to match Warhol's as close as possible, 

Rossi went on to say  “Andy Warhol was famously guarded about his personal thoughts and opinions. That’s one reason his diaries are such a rare and fascinating window; he could be incredibly raw and emotional as he talked to his diarist over the phone. To fully appreciate the radical vulnerability that Andy shares in the Diaries, I felt that we needed to hear the words in Andy’s own voice.”

Spike Lee, John Waters, Debbie Harry and many more of Warhol’s friends and fans all feature on the documentary, 

The Andy Warhol Diaries is due to be released on Netflix on 9 March.