Earlier this week, AI company ElevenLabs announced it is introducing digitally produced celebrity voice-overs of deceased actors, including Judy Garland, James Dean, and Burt Reynolds, to its new Reader app. This app can convert various text formats such as articles, PDFs, ePubs, newsletters, and e-books into voice-overs. Dustin Blank, head of partnerships at ElevenLabs, stated that including these iconic voices marks a significant advancement in their mission to make content accessible in any language and voice.
The company has secured agreements with the estates of the actors, though details about compensation were not disclosed. This initiative demonstrates the potential of AI in Hollywood and establishes a new precedent for licensing and collaborating with estates. The rapid advancement of AI technology, capable of creating realistic images, text, and sound, raises important ethical considerations about the use of digital voice replicas.
ElevenLabs previously gained attention when its tool was reportedly used to create a fake robocall from President Joe Biden. This new partnership with the estates comes shortly after OpenAI faced backlash for using a synthetic voice similar to Scarlett Johansson’s character in the film “Her.” Although individuals cannot copyright their voices, recordings are protected under copyright law, allowing ElevenLabs to legally use these AI-generated voice-overs. David Gunkel, a professor at Northern Illinois University, highlighted that these partnerships adhere to legal guidelines, drawing parallels to licensing popular songs for advertisements.
