Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1487666
I did a Google search to find out if AI voices had made any inroads into audiobooks. I found that there are some companies who use AI voices to do that although, as one person said, it is usually for books that wouldn't otherwise get an audio version. I did find that Audible, which has a major share of the audiobook market, does not allow AI voices to do its narration and only uses real human voice actors. That being said, there are many other companies that do allow AI voices to be used in the narration of their book offerings. And now, what does this mean for our industry? Top voiceover actors will be able to use their voices to create AI voices that can then be used even when the real actor is not available. From what I observed at WellSaid, they reach an agreement with the actor whereby the actor will be compensated even when it is just their AI voice that is used. What this means for most voiceover actors? I don't know. Will the synthesized voices take over and push out many actors who would otherwise have made a living doing voiceovers? It may be the case, and the technology can only improve as the AI learns more and more of the nuances of natural human speech. And what this can mean for political ads and propaganda I hesitate to speculate. Deep fakes of a well-known politician saying something they did not really say could be put out with no way of telling if it is the real voice of that person. Denials by that politician would likely be dismissed as that is what is expected of a politician these days. Celebrities could be compromised with their voices saying something they would not normally say. Is there a way of telling if a voice is the real voice of a person or if it is being synthesized? I do not know. Hopefully, some enterprising entrepreneur can come up with a program that would distinguish the two. And it seems to not just be the synthesis of voice. If you watch the videos on the Synthesia site, they create video avatars as well, which are becoming more and more lifelike. Certainly, recreating Val Kilmer's voice for Top Gun: Maverick was a very worthy goal and doing the same with other actors who have lost their speaking voice would be a wonderful accomplishment. But where will it end? Should AI-generated voices be banned? I doubt that will happen anytime soon, as the text-to-voice programs are so useful and cost-effective. Should there be legislation to prevent the use of a person's voice without their consent? Or is that already covered under copyright law? I'm not sure of the answers, only that we have a very interesting time ahead of us. And finally, I wonder if AI will take over mixing. Can an AI be programmed to analyze many different mixes of many shows and then come up with an algorithm that will recreate the artistry and flair that originally came from the mixer? We read about AI-created songs and I've heard of AI-driven mastering from the company LANDR, so who knows? I'm not sure that could happen any time soon, but it is certainly something to ponder. WellSaid labs Synthesis