"AI Avatars of Chinese Authors Poised to Narrate Audiobooks Soon"

The Chinese search engine Sogou is advancing beyond AI news anchors by introducing "lifelike" avatars of two prominent Chinese authors. These avatars will narrate audiobooks in video recordings, leveraging cutting-edge AI and text-to-speech technologies. According to the BBC, Sogou created the avatars of authors Yue Guan and Bu Xin Tian Shang Diao Xian Bing using video clips from the China Online Literature+ conference.

While text-to-speech technology allows for rapid audiobook production, consumer preference leans towards audiobooks narrated by authors, actors, or recognizable public figures. By employing AI avatars, Sogou aims to merge text-to-speech with the visual likeness of celebrities, enhancing the illusion that these audiobooks are being narrated by real people.

Sogou's AI news anchors have been operational since last fall, serving China’s state-run news agency Xinhua. Although advertised as lifelike and modeled after human anchors, viewers can still discern that the avatars' voices, facial expressions, and mouth movements are generated through deep learning techniques. It remains to be seen if the audiobook narrators will achieve greater realism.

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