Casefilm “The Wake-Up Call” by Laut Gegen Nazis

Why we revived the disturbing voice of Adolf Hitler with AI.

For Laut Gegen Nazis (Loud Against Nazis), Philipp and Keuntje developed a controversial campaign called “The Wake-Up Call” against the current shift to the extreme right. It is based on a bold creative idea brought to life through visual and acoustic AI. In a video podcast, a digital clone of Adolf Hitler serves as a modern news anchor reporting on troubling news related to far-right activities.

☑️ WESOUND was commissioned to authentically clone Adolf Hitler’s voice using Voice AI technology. We were immediately aware of the historical responsibility that came with this task. Searching for suitable original recordings of Hitler’s voice for AI training was emotionally challenging. It was an uncomfortable task, but it served a higher purpose.

☑️ The question quickly arose as to whether we should reconstruct the eccentric manner of speech from his infamous speeches or his lesser-known, natural voice. In fact, Hitler’s voice encompassed a wide frequency range from deep and warm to piercingly shrill. Interestingly, his “private” voice was never officially recorded except once secretly. It was a chillingly normal voice, barely noticeable apart from the Austrian accent.

☑️ Ultimately, we decided on a striking departure from the modern visual appearance of the clone, giving it his notoriously staged voice with the acoustic patina of the 1930s. Throughout the 11 episodes of the video podcast, the voice is grating and unbearable – just as it should be. Just as it always was.

Special thanks to our colleagues at Studio Funk, with whom we created the Voice Clone together.

We hope that the campaign helps raise public awareness and deprives far-right ideologies of a voice in the long run. 💪🏽

Further information on the campaign “The Wake-Up Call”.

Credits:
Client: Laut Gegen Nazis
Lead Agency: Philipp und Keuntje
Film Production: E+P Films
Voice AI: WESOUND & Studio Funk
Image AI: KAEPTN
Actor: Rauand Taleb