RESURRECTED: AI revives classic Hollywood stars in audio books

07/11/2024 / By Olivia Cook

Artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing classic Hollywood stars back to life, making them read audio books decades after their passing.

According to a report, London-based tech company ElevenLabs plans to use the voices of several celebrities for its new Reader App with approval from their respective estates. It has created an AI tool that can mimic these actors’ voices with remarkable accuracy. Celebrities whose voices will be used for this endeavor include James Dean, Burt Reynolds and Judy Garland.

For instance, Garland’s AI-generated voice will be used to narrate L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” to a new generation of readers. Garland, born Frances Ethel Gumm, starred as the protagonist Dorothy in the 1939 movie adaptation of Baum’s 1900 novel.

Garland’s daughter Liza Minnelli, representing the late actress’ estate, expressed excitement about the development. She expressed belief that ElevenLabs’ endeavor will introduce her mother’s iconic voice to new fans and delight those who already cherish Garland’s legacy.

Minnelli is the daughter of Garland and her second husband Vincente Minnelli. She approved the use of her late mother’s voice for the project.

Dustin Bank, head of partnerships at ElevenLabs, highlighted the significance of including these famous voices in their platform.

“Garland, Dean [and] Reynolds … are some of the most celebrated actors in history. We deeply respect their legacy and are honored to have their voices as part of our platform,” he said. “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.”

As technology advances rapidly in creating images, text and sound, it becomes easier to recreate someone’s voice–raising questions about the ethical use of AI in creative industries like film and journalism. Earlier this year, ElevenLabs made headlines when its tool was reportedly used to create a fake robocall from President Joe Biden – urging people not to vote in New Hampshire’s presidential primary. (Related: New Orleans magician says Democratic operative paid him for a FAKE ROBOCALL using Biden’s voice.)

AI use comes with copyright concerns and authenticity issues

The use of AI to recreate famous voices raises questions about copyright and authenticity, with the matter gaining attention after actress Scarlett Johansson brought it up. According to her, San Francisco-based OpenAI – the company behind the ChatGPT chatbot – reportedly introduced a synthetic voice that closely resembled her role in the 2013 film “Her.”

Johansson expressed shock and anger over the move, as she had declined a partnership with OpenAI. She threatened legal action against the technology firm, with OpenAI complying by “reluctantly” taking down the synthetic voice patterned after her.

But media companies are increasingly using AI for voice overs. For example, NBC News announced it will use an AI-generated version of famous sportscaster Al Michaels for daily Olympic recaps on its Peacock streaming platform this summer. A spokesperson for the network confirmed that Michaels is being compensated for his involvement.

David Gunkel, a professor at Northern Illinois University who tracks AI in media and entertainment, remarked that ElevenLabs’ new partnership with the estates of deceased classic Hollywood actors “are all well within the realm of what the law allows.” But he pointed out that it remains unclear how audiences will respond to AI-generated voices and if this will raise concerns about authenticity

“We don’t know yet the supposed market for these types of things. But you can already see with audiobooks – the ones read by recognizable voices and celebrities are a hot commodity,” Gunkel said. “If there’s a way to have a celebrity do all kinds of content and not voice it themselves, that could open up the market even wider.”

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