New Netflix true crime doc uses AI to bring criminal back from the dead

Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam has jumped on the AI trend by bringing the late talent manager and convicted scammer Lou Pearlman back from the dead.

The new true crime docu-series, which arrived on Netflix today (July 24), chronicles the rise and fall of Pearlman, the star-maker responsible for bringing the likes of Backstreet Boys and NSYNC to life. 

However, his boy band empire was built on lies. After three decades of swindling hundreds of millions of dollars, Pearlman’s house of cards came crashing down, revealing one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history.

After being convicted and sentenced to 25 years, Pearlman died in prison in 2016 – but that hasn’t stopped him from appearing in Netflix’s Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam.

Following the opening sequence, the docu-series shows Pearlman introducing himself as the chairman of Trans Continental.

Text over the screen then explains, “This is real footage of Lou Pearlman. This footage has been digitally altered to generate his voice and synchronize his lips.”

The words, meanwhile, come from Pearlman’s book ‘Bands, Brands and Billions’. In the credits, actor Chris Banks is credited for these scenes, as well as AI voice generator Resemble AI.

This isn’t the first time a Netflix true crime documentary has used artificial intelligence. Earlier this year, What Jennifer Did faced backlash for allegedly using digitally manipulated photos of Jennifer Pan. 

While Dirty Pop makes it clear from the outset that the footage of Pearlman has been created this way, it does once again raise questions about the use of AI in entertainment.

In its review, the Chicago Sun-Times described it as a “distraction,” while RogerEbert.com said “the decision feels a bit wrong.”

It highlights the fact that while we shouldn’t defend the actions of Pearlman, he’s not around, and the words of his book might get lost in translation. 

Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam is streaming on Netflix now. For more true crime, find out where Jonathan Meijer is now, how to watch the new Andrew Tate documentary, and what happened to Phil Spector.