Audible is enhancing its use of artificial intelligence for audiobook narration by involving human narrators in the process. The company has invited select US-based audiobook professionals to train AI models using their voices, resulting in AI “voice clones” that can be used to quickly produce new audiobook recordings.
Instead of relying solely on generic synthetic voices, Audible is training voice models on real professional narrators to enhance quality. This human element could make AI narrations sound more natural. Participating narrators will provide a voice sample, which Audible’s systems can then use to create an AI replica.
Narrators will be paid for any audiobooks produced using their AI voice clones, following a royalty-sharing model based on each book’s sales. This approach will allow narrators to expand their production capabilities and increase their earning potential by handling more projects simultaneously. Narrators will maintain full control throughout the production process.
Audible emphasizes that AI narrations are intended to supplement, not replace, human narrators. A narrator’s voice replica will not be used without their explicit approval for each specific title. The goal is to increase the number of ebooks with audiobook versions, and with AI narration tools becoming more accessible, this could soon become a reality.
Audible’s approach is a step forward in the use of AI for audiobook production, and it will be interesting to see how this technology evolves in the future.
The recent announcement by Audible to introduce AI voice clones for audiobook narration is a significant milestone in the audiobook industry. By using artificial intelligence to clone the voices of professional narrators, Audible aims to speed up the production process and make audiobooks more accessible.
This development is a win-win for both narrators and listeners. With AI voice clones, narrators can produce more audiobooks and expand their production capabilities, leading to increased earning potential. Listeners will benefit from a wider selection of audiobooks, many of which may not have been possible without this technology.
Key Benefits of AI Voice Clones:
This development has the potential to transform the audiobook industry, and I’m excited to see how it will impact the future of storytelling.