Councillor with Motor Neurone Disease uses AI to speak again
A Sevenoaks councillor who struggles to speak after developing motor neurone disease (MND) is using pioneering AI technology to communicate using his own voice.
Nick Varley (Lib Dem), who represents Kippington on Sevenoaks district and town councils, was diagnosed with MND in November 2024.
His condition affects the muscles in his mouth and throat first, leaving him with difficulty speaking.
“I felt terrible shock and fear after my diagnosis,” the 58-year-old said.
“It was nine months after I first noticed at a council meeting that my voice sounded slightly odd, a tiny bit slurred. And then you just have to get on with it.”
The technology, developed by the MND Association and California-based firm 11Labs, uses recordings of Cllr Varley’s own voice to train AI software that reproduces it accurately.
He used the system publicly for the first time to ask a question at a Sevenoaks District Council cabinet meeting on January 13.
“It’s amazing, because when you get your diagnosis, part of you thinks, ‘my life is over.’ Being able to still work, still talk, and still participate is incredible,” he said.
“It can be very emotional – your voice is such a big part of you.”
Since his diagnosis, Cllr Varley, a former journalist, has also been raising funds for charities supporting people with MND. His participation in the 2025 Moonlight Walk by Hospice in the Weald raised over £11,000, and a charity run in Leeds in December brought in more than £10,000.
MND is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that causes muscles to weaken, stiffen, and waste, affecting how sufferers walk, talk, eat, drink, and breathe.
Around 5,000 adults in the UK are living with the life-shortening disease at any one time, and there is currently no cure.
Cllr Varley’s use of AI technology demonstrates a new way for people with MND to maintain independence, continue working, and stay engaged with their communities – all while using the voice they know and recognise.