Netflix's new documentary examining the Lucy Letby case has provoked significant criticism from audiences over its decision to employ artificial intelligence technology to disguise the identities of interviewees.
The Investigation of Lucy Letby, which premiered on the streaming platform on February 4, explores the conviction of the former neonatal nurse found guilty in 2023 of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Some viewers quickly took to X to express their discomfort with the AI-altered faces appearing throughout the film.
"Not sure yet what to make of the decision in the Lucy Letby Netflix documentary to anonymise contributors by covering their faces with fake AI faces," one confused viewer wrote, while another penned: "Not the AI rendered people in the Lucy Letby documentary, Netflix never do that again."
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The Investigation of Lucy Letby was released globally on Wednesday
| CHESTER STANDARDA third posted: "There is a DISGUSTING amount of AI in this new Netflix Lucy Letby documentary."
Another described the streaming service's approach as "pretty disturbing."
The documentary's opening credits include a disclaimer stating that "some contributors have been digitally disguised to maintain anonymity," with their "names, appearances, and voices altered."
Among those given AI-generated appearances are "Sarah," identified as the mother of one victim, and "Maisie," described as a university friend of Letby's.
Lucy Letby will spend the rest of her life in prison | REUTERSTheir testimonies are delivered through computer-generated faces that blink, cry and move, yet many viewers observed that the generated emotions remain disconnected from the emotional weight of their words.
One viewer complained the technique made the production appear "cheap and fake even though this is a real case with real victims."
Others raised ethical concerns about the choice to use AI rather than human performers.
"'Digitally anonymised' = AI slop in a f**king documentary," one user wrote.
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Netflix used AI generated faces to protect people's identity
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Another added: "USE ACTORS. PAY HUMANS." (sic)
Perhaps the most striking revelation in the documentary comes from Dr John Gibbs, one of the hospital consultants who initially raised concerns about Letby.
"I live with two guilts," Mr Gibbs states in the film. "Guilt that we let the babies down, and tiny, tiny, tiny guilt: did we get the wrong person? You know, just in case: a miscarriage of justice."
He added: "I don't think there was a miscarriage of justice, but you worry that no one actually saw her do it."
Despite voicing this doubt, Mr Gibbs remains convinced of Letby's guilt.
The neonatal nurse was convicted following two trials in 2023 and 2024, receiving 15 whole-life sentences that made her Britain's worst child serial killer.
Since those proceedings, the prosecution's evidence and police handling of the investigation have attracted criticism from a substantial number of distinguished medical experts from Britain and abroad.
Canadian neonatologist Dr Shoo Lee, who led an independent panel reviewing the clinical notes, states in the documentary that his research was misused to secure the conviction.
The case has attracted criticism from a substantial number of distinguished medical experts from Britain and abroad
| PAHis panel concluded that all the babies died from medical causes and found "no murders."
The film also features Letby's lawyer, Mark McDonald, and touches on criticism of prosecution expert Dr Dewi Evans by a Court of Appeal judge.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission is currently examining the case, with a decision anticipated in the autumn.
The Netflix documentary, The Investigation of Lucy Letby, was released globally on Wednesday