AI revives voices of deceased Hollywood legends: Hear James Dean, Judy Garland narrate your next eBook

[Innovabble]

 

In a groundbreaking move, AI startup ElevenLabs has brought the silver screen to life with AI-generated voices of Hollywood legends. Their innovative Reader App now features the iconic voices of Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds, and Sir Laurence Olivier.

 

 

How Does This Magic Work?

ElevenLabs' Reader App transforms any text into captivating AI narration, breathing life into articles, PDFs, eBooks, and more. Their secret lies in training AI models on vast amounts of audio data. This allows the AI to meticulously mimic the unique vocal characteristics — tone, pitch, inflection— of a specific speaker.

 

The Voices We Know and Love

The initial launch boasts a star-studded lineup, featuring the aforementioned Hollywood icons. Notably, ElevenLabs secured partnerships with the estates of these deceased celebrities to ensure respectful use of their voices. The company promises to expand this library with even more legendary voices in the coming months.

 

Reactions and What This Means for the Future

This innovative resurrection of iconic voices has been met with mixed reactions. While the families of the stars, like Judy Garland's daughter Liza Minnelli, express enthusiasm for introducing new generations to their legacies, ethical and legal concerns linger.

The specter of deepfakes and unauthorized voice replications looms large. Hollywood actors' union, SAG-AFTRA, has even sponsored a bill to prevent such misuse of deceased performers. Thankfully, ElevenLabs' collaboration with the estates alleviates some of those concerns in this case.

 

A New Era of Storytelling?

ElevenLabs' achievement marks a significant leap in AI voice technology. Imagine curling up with a classic novel narrated by the legendary James Dean, or a historical account brought to life by the voice of Sir Laurence Olivier! This technology has the potential to personalize audiobooks, enhance educational experiences, and even create immersive audio experiences for games or virtual reality.

 

What are your thoughts on this development? Do you find the use of AI to recreate the voices of deceased celebrities exciting or unsettling?

 

 

• https://elevenlabs.io/blog/iconic-voices
• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-04/judy-garland-james-dean-among-celeb-voice-in-new-ai/104056130
• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ai-voices-dead-celebrities-judy-garland-james-dean-burt-reynolds/
• https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/ai-judy-garland-james-dean-burt-reynolds-elevenlabs-reader-app-1236058829/
• https://www.engadget.com/you-can-now-get-ai-judy-garland-or-james-dean-to-read-you-the-news-160023595.html