Amazon is revolutionising the audiobook industry by allowing Audible narrators to clone their voices using AI technology.
This innovative move aims to speed up audiobook production while ensuring narrators retain creative control over their AI-generated voices.
Starting this week, a select group of Audible narrators in the US will be invited to participate in a beta test. This initiative will eventually extend to rights holders such as authors, agents, and publishers later this year. Amazon announced this exciting development on Audible’s creator marketplace, highlighting the potential to bring more books to life in audio format.
Participants in the beta will submit voice recordings to train their AI replicas, which they can then use for both live performances and AI-generated recordings. Narrators will have the ability to edit the pronunciation and pacing of their AI voices using Amazon’s production tools. They will also review the final production to ensure accuracy and quality.
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Compensation for narrators will follow a "Royalty Share" model on a "title-by-title basis," although Amazon has yet to disclose specific earnings details. Importantly, any audiobook narrated using an AI voice replica will be clearly labelled on its product detail page. Narrators will have full control over which projects their AI voices are used for, and Amazon assures that no content will be produced without the narrator’s approval.
This new feature is not without its controversies. Last year, Amazon introduced a similar tool for Kindle Direct Publishing authors, allowing them to convert their books into audiobooks using synthetic voices. Since then, over 40,000 Audible titles have utilised virtual voices, raising concerns among human narrators about potential job losses.
Despite these concerns, Amazon’s latest move promises to balance the interests of authors, narrators, publishers, and listeners. By providing narrators with creative control and the ability to review AI-generated content, Amazon aims to ensure high-quality audiobooks while expanding its catalogue.
Stay tuned as this feature rolls out more broadly, potentially transforming the audiobook landscape for both creators and listeners.
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