A new Netflix documentary, which explores the shocking case of one of the UK’s most infamous child murderers, has raised eyebrows over a "disturbing" decision to alter the faces of interviewees using AI.
The Investigation of Lucy Letby delves into the life and crimes of the former neonatal nurse, who is serving 15 whole-life sentences for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others - one on two occasions - at the Countess of Chester hospital between 2015 and 2016.
The documentary has sparked a strong reaction from viewers, especially regarding the use of AI to anonymize witnesses.
Many viewers took to social media to express their discomfort with the digital manipulation.
“Watched #TheInvestigationOfLucyLetby doc, and I think it’s wild that anyone doubts her guilt given the evidence and those confession notes. Also, Netflix's choice to use AI on interviewees' faces was pretty disturbing. Might as well have just blurred their faces,” one user wrote on X.
Another said: “The #AI altering of witness videos in the #LucyLetby Netflix documentary is so distracting and weird,” while a third added: “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.”
This technique has left many viewers unsettled, with one commenting, “This digital anonymising on the Netflix Lucy Letby doc is incredibly unsettling. I’m assuming they used AI. Just go back to using voice of an actor.”
The Case and the Documentary
Letby's crimes rocked the UK, making her one of the most prolific female serial killers in modern history.
The film includes exclusive access to key investigators from Cheshire Police, who spent years building the case against the former health professional, as well as revealing bodycam footage from her arrests and interviews with police.
The show also features heartbreaking accounts from the parents of some of the babies, including "Sarah", the mother of "Baby D", whose daughter Zoe died in June 2015 after Letby allegedly injected air into her bloodstream, BBC News reported.
“It was hard looking at her in the incubator... She was so fragile, small, and precious," Sarah says in the film.
The grief and trauma that the parents continue to endure are evident, with the grieving mom describing how her life has been filled with “storm after storm,” though she tries to find hope in the memory of her daughter.
The Investigation of Letby paints a complex picture of Letby’s actions and the wider circumstances surrounding her crimes, with some experts questioning whether she is truly guilty.
One of Letby’s barristers, Mark McDonald, makes an appearance in the documentary and asserts that there is no clear evidence to directly implicate her.
He notes that there were no witnesses to her actions and that much of the evidence is circumstantial, per the Manchester Evening.
Additionally, the defense team has commissioned an international panel of experts to review the case, with some concluding that alternative explanations exist for the deaths, including poor medical care and natural causes.
Emotional Impact and Sensationalism
While the film provides a detailed look at the case, it also includes emotionally charged moments, such as the inclusion of a chilling video of Letby’s arrest.
The footage, which was released against her parents’ wishes, shows her being taken away from her family home, with her mother visibly distressed.
This inclusion has been slammed for sensationalizing the case, as it adds little to the factual narrative but plays heavily on viewers' emotions.
Letby’s mother has since stated that watching the footage would have been “likely to kill us," per The Guardian.
As the case remains under scrutiny, Letby’s convictions are being reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), with the potential for an appeal.
Some experts, including Dr. Shoo Lee, believe that there may have been a miscarriage of justice and that Letby might not be guilty of the crimes for which she was convicted.
However, there is still a significant amount of circumstantial evidence against her, including the suspicious timing of the deaths, the unexplained collapses of babies, and the presence of Letby on the unit during many of these incidents.
The Investigation of Lucy Letby is available to stream on Netflix now.