Audible, Amazon’s audiobook arm, has unveiled a groundbreaking initiative that brings professional narrators into the evolving world of AI-generated audiobooks. Starting this week, a select group of U.S.-based audiobook narrators will be invited to train AI models on their voices, creating synthetic versions of themselves for future audiobook recordings. This move allows narrators to expand their work by lending their voice replicas to more projects while retaining control over the final product.
Why now? Audible has long been looking for ways to rapidly scale its audiobook offerings. Despite the popularity of Amazon’s self-published books on Kindle, most titles lack audiobook versions. With more than 40,000 titles using virtual voices as of May 2023, Audible is pushing to diversify voice options and speed up production.
How does it work? Narrators who join the program will train the AI on their voice, allowing them to take on more projects simultaneously. The process is free for participants, and they’ll be compensated on a royalty-sharing basis for each audiobook made using their AI voice. They also maintain control over the use of their voice for specific works, with the ability to edit pronunciation and pacing via Audible’s production tools.
This initiative is seen as a way to bring more exclusive content to Audible’s platform while ensuring high-quality voiceover work remains integral to the experience. While AI will assist in audiobook production, professional narrators are still key, with their approval required before any AI-generated voice is used.
For narrators, this program offers the potential to scale their careers, reach a broader audience, and maximize their earnings. At the same time, Audible not only expands its audiobook catalog but also improves the customer experience by offering a more diverse range of voices and narrations, making audiobooks more engaging and personalized. The blend of human expertise and AI efficiency enriches the overall user experience, offering listeners more choices and flexibility in their audiobook selections.
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