The Voice judge Will.i.am blasted by fans for using robot to autograph his new book
VOICE judge Will.i.am has been blasted by fans after it emerged that “autographed” copies of his new book were signed by a machine.
The Black Eyed Peas star’s futuristic novel - WAR: Wizards and Robots - was released last month to rave reviews from critics and fans.
To mark the launch, big booksellers such as Waterstones and WHSmith have been selling special editions signed by Will.i.am and the book’s co-author Brian David Johnson.
But they have since had to offer refunds after it emerged the star used a robotic device to sign the copies rather than his own hand.
A letter from Waterstones to a customer who bought one said: “Will.i.am is an enthusiastic user of technologies in both his professional and personal life and it has recently come to our attention that the signed editions of Wizards and Robots have been signed by will.i.am’s own high tech robotic device, which faithfully reproduces his signature.
“Technology is an essential element of everything that will does but we are of course happy to refund any customer who has bought a signed copy and is dissatisfied with this method of signing.”
It added that books could be returned to the company free of charge.
Civil servant Andrew Robinson, 42, from Darwen, Lancs, ordered a £12.99 signed copy from Waterstones for his boys Ben and Tom, 12 and 10.
He said: “As soon as I saw there were signed copies available I ordered one as my kids are big fans of Will.i.am.
“Then I got this e-mail through a few weeks later telling me it was signed by a robot and I couldn’t believe it.
“You wouldn’t know from looking at the signature that it was done by a machine. Probably lots of people have bought a signed copy in shops and still don’t know it isn’t real, which is a shame for the fans.
“My kids had loved the book at first and were really upset when I told them about the e-mail as they liked the idea of it being hand-signed.
I sent it straight back for a refund.
“Waterstones said there’s a chance of us getting a real signed copy - so we’re waiting to see if it's possible." The book - the first novel Will.i.am has written - tells the story of a teenage girl caught up in a battle between ancient wizards and futuristic robots.
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The musician has previously spoken of his passion for tech and how it might change the future.
Last year he and Johnson said: “We’re both hugely excited by science and technology, and wanted to show teenagers all over the world how important it is to understand what this means for our world and future.”
Publisher Penguin Random House UK said: “It came to our attention that signed editions of Wizards and Robots were autographed by a robotic device owned by will.i.am, which faithfully reproduces his signature.
“We have informed retailers who have stock of these copies so they can amend the description on their websites.
“Customers who have already purchased a signed edition have been informed to the extent the retailers are able to reach them, and have been offered a refund if they are dissatisfied."