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George and Gracie: The Robot Voices of BART artwork
Society & Culture

George and Gracie: The Robot Voices of BART

Bay Curious by KQED

Apr 6, 202614:00Society & Culture

When BART trains pull into stations, a robotic and antiquated-sounding voice announces its arrival and destination. Bay Curious listener Jimmy Tobin has long been baffled by these voices. They're hard to understand, he s...

About This Episode

George and Gracie: The Robot Voices of BART is an episode from Bay Curious by KQED. When BART trains pull into stations, a robotic and antiquated-sounding voice announces its arrival and destination. Bay Curious listener Jimmy Tobin has lon...

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Episode Details

Published Apr 6, 2026, 14:00 long, audio available.

Questions About This Episode

What is George and Gracie: The Robot Voices of BART about?

When BART trains pull into stations, a robotic and antiquated-sounding voice announces its arrival and destination. Bay Curious listener Jimmy Tobin has long been baffled by these voices. They're hard to understand, he says, and why is it that in the cities pioneering AI and synthesized speech models our own trains are nearly unintelligible? Additional Resources: In a Tech Hub Like the Bay Area, Why Do BART Announcements Sound So Ancient? Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to This story was reported by Ana De Almeida Amaral. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where can I listen to George and Gracie: The Robot Voices of BART?

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Which podcast is George and Gracie: The Robot Voices of BART from?

George and Gracie: The Robot Voices of BART is an episode from Bay Curious by KQED.

How long is this episode?

This episode is 14:00 long.

When was this episode published?

This episode was published on Apr 6, 2026.

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Are there related episodes from Bay Curious?

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Quick Answers About This Episode

Where can I listen to George and Gracie: The Robot Voices of BART?

You can listen to George and Gracie: The Robot Voices of BART on this page when the episode audio is available from the podcast feed.

Which podcast is this episode from?

George and Gracie: The Robot Voices of BART is from Bay Curious by KQED.

What are the episode details?

Published Apr 6, 2026 and 14:00 long