Last week, ElevenLabs, an AI voice startup founded by former Google and Palantir engineers, made waves with the launch of its Reader app, designed to transform digital text into dynamic audio.
Available on iOS, the Reader app serves as a voiceover tool that converts any text document or web link into AI-generated narration, featuring various voices and accents. Today, the company announced an exciting expansion: the addition of iconic voices belonging to late Hollywood legends Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds, and Sir Laurence Olivier.
To bring these legendary voices to life, ElevenLabs has partnered with CMG Worldwide, a firm dedicated to managing intellectual property rights for both living and deceased celebrities. This collaboration marks the beginning of a series of upcoming launches featuring more celebrated AI voices.
Transforming Digital Text into Engaging Audio
While ElevenLabs has primarily focused on the creative sector with AI models for text-to-speech, dubbing, and sound effects, the Reader app presents a tailored approach to text-to-speech technology. Users simply need to input a link or file—whether it’s an article, PDF, newsletter, or a lengthy e-book—and the app processes the text, providing voiceover narration with a green highlighter tracking each spoken word.
Currently, the app is available in English, allowing users to choose from 11 voices and accents, ranging from male to female and American to British. With the introduction of iconic voices, users can now enjoy narratives in the distinct tones of these late stars, enhancing their reading experience. For instance, one could listen to L. Frank Baum’s "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" narrated by Judy Garland herself, who starred in the film adaptation.
Preserving Celebrity Legacies
For the families of these stars, AI-generated voice recreations provide an opportunity to ensure their legacies endure, enabling fans to reconnect and allowing new audiences to discover their work. ElevenLabs anticipates that this feature will boost engagement with the Reader app.
"Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds, and Sir Laurence Olivier are some of history’s most celebrated actors. We respect their legacies and are honored to feature their voices," said Dustin Blank, head of partnerships at ElevenLabs. "This addition is a significant step forward in our mission to make content accessible in any voice and language."
Addressing Voice Cloning Concerns
A key concern surrounding voice cloning technology is the potential for misuse, such as creating false statements attributed to public figures. Past incidents, like the Robocall controversy involving President Biden, highlight the risks. ElevenLabs acknowledges these issues and is proactively enhancing safety measures.
Sam Sklar, who manages growth marketing at ElevenLabs, emphasized that the company retains control over celebrity voices, making them exclusively available on the Reader app. This design ensures that users can only convert text into AI narration for personal use, prohibiting sharing or downloading content.
"For example, through the Reader app, you could listen to an article read by Judy Garland, but her voice isn't accessible through our general voice library," Sklar explained. The app also incorporates strict moderation to prevent the generation of harmful content or hate speech.
To further safeguard against misuse, ElevenLabs employs a voice captcha verification system that verifies user audio samples against specific voice recordings. If discrepancies arise, the cloning request is denied. Additionally, a "no go" voice policy exists, prohibiting the cloning of voices regarded as high risk.
"Any attempt to clone these voices will be blocked," Sklar reassured.
While these measures significantly reduce the likelihood of voice cloning abuse, potential challenges remain. For example, malicious users could craft content that slips through moderation filters.
As ElevenLabs rolls out its iconic voices feature globally and to Android devices this summer, the impact on the industry remains to be seen. The company is also working on support for additional languages, promising a broadening of accessible content for users.
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