The final episode in the WSOP documentary series No Limit may not even be out, but the show’s creator Dustin Ianotti is in hot water after admitting to using artificial intelligence on the latest episodes to make up quotes from Alan Keating.
In now-deleted tweets, Ianotti admitted that the quotes were generated using artificial intelligence to imitate Keating’s voice, based on themes Keating had touched on in an interview. However, Keating was unaware of this and had not been consulted before the episodes were released.
Keating Blows the Whistle
Keating featured on Episodes 5 and 6 of the eight-part series, which both aired last week, showcasing players in action at the 2024 WSOP Paradise.
On Friday evening, Keating took to social media to highlight some inconsistencies he had noticed in the show. Reposting the WSOP’s official account, he called out the documentary for “putting words in his mouth” using AI. His tweets, as well as those from Ianotti, have since been deleted.
Keating drew the poker community’s attention for his comments in the latest episodes, when asked about his views on tournament poker versus playing cash games.
“They’re [tournament players] going to hate me,” he said. “I want to be gracious, but I would compare it like chess and checkers. Tournaments are more like checkers to me.”
“I hate tournaments, there’s nothing I like about them. I don’t know why I’m here,” he went on to say.
Show Creator Responds
The show is being funded by GGPoker, new owners of the WSOP, but was the brainchild of Dustin Iannotti. Iannotti has previously worked as Full Tilt Poker Head of Pro, Celebrity & VIP Marketing and Head of PokerStars Team Pro Online in the early 2010s, but established Artisans on Fire, an Emmy Award-winning video production studio founded in 2015. The bio on his social media reads: “Making poker bingeable. Telling stories that match the stakes.”
Previously, Iannotti had said, regarding the documentary, he’d wanted to make something “Worthy of your time. Worthy of their stories. Worthy of this game.” The documentary was shot over twenty 16-hour days during which the “obsessed team” shot 700 hours of footage.
Early on Saturday morning, Iannotti, who is separately responsible for the production of Keating’s YouTube channel, responded directly to Keating’s post and admitted that AI was used on small sections of two episodes.
“We used AI technology on two brief sequences during post-production, totaling approximately 10 seconds across the 55 total minutes of episode 5 and 6. As we’ve discussed with Alan directly, we should have consulted him on these editorial choices. “
Iannotti went on to state that Keating’s episodes had received an “overwhelmingly positive response,” with many viewers specifically citing their enjoyment of Alan’s segments.
“We stand by our work and the overall integrity of the docuseries,” said Ianotti.
What Was Edited?
In another now-deleted follow-up post, Iannotti highlighted the sections that were edited, alongside what Keating actually said. According to Ianotti, the themes were Keatings and the vocabulary “tracked closely” to what was expressed. These themes were then “synthesized” into statements for “faster scene transitions and narrative pacing”.
Ianotti admitted that Keating should have been consulted and that the use of the technique should have been disclosed.
The Tough Spot Quote
The first AI-generated quote appears at the 19:18 mark of Episode 5, where Keating says, “I like putting people in tough spots and testing their will.”
Iannotti says that these quotes were amalgamated from a series of other quotes Keating gave on the topic, including “I think cash games are a bigger test of the man than tournaments.”
Keating also said in his interviews, “I hate to say it. I actually do get a lot of a joy out of you know when someone’s like really frustrated” and “I think I’m more comfortable in some difficult situations than most. If I do have an advantage, that might be it.” Both of these were then used to craft the AI-generated response.
The Cash Game Quote
The second AI-generated quote appears at the 23:00 mark of Episode 6, where Keating says, “Is this over? Can I go find a cash game now?”
Again, Iannotti says that this quote was created out of thin air from actual quotes from Keating, such as “Should we go play cash?”.
Were Other Players Affected?
When pressed by PokerNews on whether AI was used with any other players interviewed as part of the documentary, Ianotti denied. He refered to the two Keating lines as “oversights” and said he’d apologized to Keating.
However, a different player featured in an episode of No Limit, Alex Keating, has since come forward, claiming that the documentary added a “fake voice” during the episodes, whilst also claiming they re-edited the episode “without context”
“I never agreed to this,” he said in a post. “I was a feature player for an episode that I think will be coming out soon. I no longer want to be a part of this. And I do not give consent to voice over and spliced editing.”
Player Reaction
Reaction was swift, with many calling the news disappointing and disgusting. Keating was among the first in the poker community to reply, with a curt response.
“This doesn’t deserve a reply and you know why,” he said.
Georg Fagerbakke called it “outrageous,” saying “You can pretend it doesn’t put the integrity of the production into question, but [in my opinion] it absolutely does”
“What a wild response,” said Jon Pardy, while @DontBleffMe said “this is repulsive and shows a total lack of character.”
The final two episodes of the documentary air on Tuesday and Thursday this week.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article included some lines which were direct quotes, rather than synthesized by AI. This has been corrected.
Managing Editor