The WSOP has pulled its poker docuseries No Limit from YouTube after it was revealed that AI had been used to fabricate two quotes from Alan Keating.
In a now-deleted post on X, Keating said, “A half a dozen quotes of me were made by the production team using AI to put words in my mouth. They didn’t tell me they were doing it or what it would say.”
The WSOP released a statement on Sunday, saying, “We have removed the videos and will redo the editing to ensure the final product reflects our standards.”
One of the quotes that was created with AI and broadcast using a recreation of Keating’s voice was from Episode 5 of the show. Spliced between direct quotes from Keating, the AI-generated voice said, “I like putting people in tough spots and testing their will.”
All six episodes of No Limit have now been removed from the WSOP’s YouTube channel, and there is no word on when they will be edited and released again, along with the previously unseen remaining episodes. No Limit was set to be an eight-part series leading up to the 2025 WSOP Paradise festival.
How did AI-generated quotes make the final cut?
The show’s creator, Dustin Iannotti, admitted fabricating the quotes in a post on X (also now deleted), which read, “We used AI technology on two brief sequences during post-production, totaling approximately 10 seconds across the 55 total minutes of episodes 5 and 6. As we’ve discussed with Alan directly, we should have consulted him on these editorial choices.”
Iannotti is the CEO of video production house Artisans on Fire, which has also been employed by Keating for direct work on his YouTube channel.
We reached out to Iannotti to find out how the AI quotes had made it into the final cut of the show and whether any other quotes in the series had been fabricated.
“Multiple people came in to record over their placeholder lines in the lead-up to the docuseries' release,” Iannotti said.
“We created AI placeholders, intending to have Alan record final versions, but missed replacing them before the episode was finalized.
“Our intent was always to have Alan deliver the final versions in his own words and cadence, but we dropped the ball on follow-through.
“We discussed this with Alan privately earlier this week and apologized. We have a year-long working relationship with him and would never intentionally put him in a position where he looked bad or felt misrepresented.”
Iannotti confirmed that these were the only instances of quotes created by AI that made the final cut of No Limit.
What’s next for the No Limit docuseries?
The WSOP is seemingly set to re-release the full eight-episode series at a later date, but it’s tough to imagine the series being remembered for anything other than the controversy it’s now mired in.
It’s an ignominious end to a series that had promised to rewrite the rulebook for poker content.
PokerOrg Player Advisory Board member Joey Ingram summed up his thoughts in a succinct post on X.
