Interesting Engineering
ElevenLabs obtains rights to reproduce the voices of Hollywood legends using AI technology.
In an interesting development, AI startup ElevenLabs has announced that the voices of revered deceased actors, such as Judy Garland and James Dean, will be able to narrate various forms of digital text.
The name ElevenLabs might sound familiar to you. They hit the headlines earlier this year when their technology was misused to replicate President Joe Biden’s voice in a robocall discouraging voters in New Hampshire, as reported by CBS News.
In light of controversies surrounding ChatGPT technology, notably OpenAI replicating Scarlett Johansson’s voice, ElevenLabs proactively obtained rights to use actors’ voices from their estates.
“We deeply respect their legacy and are honored to have their voices as part of our platform,” stated Dustin Blank, Head of Partnerships at ElevenLabs.
“Adding them to our growing list of narrators marks a major step forward in our mission of making content accessible in any language and voice.”
AI doesn’t need much to learn how to talk like someone
ElevenLabs has partnered with the estates of Hollywood legends Judy Garland, James Deans, Sir Lawrence Olivier, and Burt Reynolds. Using audio sources already available, their Reader App will allow users to have these iconic voices narrate newsletters, PDFs, e-books, and other text on their phones.
As per CNN, the AI technology learns from older recordings, making voice replication relatively easy despite the recordings being under copyright.
Furthermore, an expert told CNN that AI models are becoming so advanced that they can learn someone’s voice without requiring much input.
“Very little is needed to capture tone, speech, and other elements,” Bern Elliot was quoted as saying. Therefore, legal frameworks are crucial as AI models become increasingly integrated into daily life.
AI brings the big screen to the small screen
As the ease of voice replication becomes evident, ElevenLabs has tried to position itself as an ethical player, addressing the uncertain market for celebrity voices and authenticity concerns in an increasingly digital world.
Meanwhile, a professor at Northwestern’s Department of Communications said that a market exists for celebrities reading audiobooks, suggesting such AI models could create opportunities in the audio industry.
Nevertheless, as these technologies continue to evolve, the use of actor’s voices, even if they are no longer alive, still falls within legal parameters that require an official, transparent process.
Notably, it turned out to became a main point of contention in the SAG-AFTRA strike last year. AI became a contentious issue in the SAG-AFTRA strike last year, leading to a new contract limiting the use of AI. Reportedly, Hollywood must compensate actors if AI generates “a virtual likeness” of their person or voice.
The small screen has almost become the big screen
The governance of AI, as a relatively new technology, remains unclear, but ElevenLabs has demonstrated a just course of action. While the compensation that estates will receive remains under wraps, “an estate will get a considerable amount of money from licensing and agreements,” according to CNN.
On a positive note, Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland’s daughter, expressed her excitement about her mother’s voice being available to millions of fans. And with that, the small screen becomes a little wider than the big screen.
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ABOUT THE EDITOR
Maria Mocerino Originally from LA, Maria Mocerino has been published in Business Insider, The Irish Examiner, The Rogue Mag, Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, and now Interesting Engineering.
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