Agatha Christie, the renowned British novelist who passed away in 1976, has made a surprising comeback as an online writing instructor. BBC Maestro, an educational platform akin to MasterClass, has unveiled her digital avatar, offering aspiring writers a unique opportunity to learn from the literary icon at a cost of £79 (approximately $105).
The avatar has been developed through extensive research by a team of academics who crafted a script derived from Christie's own writings and interviews. This digital representation melds her words with the performance of an actor, Vivien Keene, creating a semblance of Christie herself, although the creators do not claim that this is a literal resurrection. "This is just a representation of Agatha to teach her own craft," stated Michael Levine, the CEO of BBC Maestro, in an interview.
This initiative arrives amidst growing debates surrounding the ethics of artificial intelligence in creative industries. In the U.K., prospective changes in copyright law have raised concerns among artists regarding the unconsented use of their work in training AI models. However, in Christie's case, her estate has fully endorsed this project, alleviating potential copyright issues. James Prichard, her great-grandson and the head of Agatha Christie Ltd., confirmed that they maintained strict guidelines: “We just had the red line that it had to be her words…and the image and the voice had to be like her.”
As Christie's avatar takes the virtual stage, the conversation about the boundaries of creativity in the age of AI becomes increasingly pertinent. Is it ethical to learn from a digital reconstruction of a long-gone author, and what does this mean for the future of storytelling? In a world eager for innovation, Agatha Christie’s re-imagined role may reshape how we perceive teaching literature and the preservation of artistic legacies.
