Artificial Intelligence (AI) has already begun to transform the world of audiobooks, with its ability to generate fluid voiceovers without using a human narrator, a novelty that concerns voice professionals.
There is no seal to identify the AI, but according to several professionals in the sector, thousands of audiobooks conceived from the vocal database already circulate on the market.
Among the more advanced programs, Deepzen offers an entry-level price that can cut the cost of creating an audiobook by a quarter compared to a classic project.
This small London-based company works with a database they created by recording the voices of various actors who were asked to express a variety of different emotions.
All companies contacted by the AFP defend themselves against these practices.
The Texas startup Speechki proposes, in addition to using its own recordings, to use voices extracted from existing databases, says its general director, Dima Abramov.
This second option requires signing a contract that includes usage rights, he explains.
– “Emotional connection” –
Asked about the matter, the five main publishers in the US market did not respond.
But, according to professionals interviewed by AFP, several names in the traditional publishing sector already use so-called generative AI, that is, capable of creating, without human intervention, texts, images, videos or voices from existing content.
“Professional narration has always been essential to listening on Audible and will continue to be,” said a spokeswoman for the American audiobook giant, an Amazon subsidiary.
“That said, as technology improves, we envision a future where human interpretation and (AI) generated content can coexist.”
Deeply focused on artificial intelligence, the tech giants are involved in the burgeoning software-generated audiobook economy.
Earlier this year, Apple launched a “digital storytelling” offering, designed, according to the company, to “make audiobook creation more accessible to everyone”, in particular “independent authors and small publishers”.
Google offers a similar service, described as “auto-narration”.
“We need to democratize the publishing industry, because right now only the best-known names become audiobooks,” says Kamis Taylan.
“Synthetic narration has just opened the door for all existing books that were not recorded and for all future books that would never be recorded due to economic limitations,” says Dima Abramov, who estimates that currently 5% of books are converted into audiobooks .
This market growth will also benefit voice actors, he adds. “They will do more recordings and make more money.”
“Storytelling, essentially, is about allowing human beings to reconnect with their humanity,” argues Emily Ellet, director of the Association of Professional Audiobook Storytellers. “Storytelling must remain completely human.”
For Tanya Eby, AI narration still “lacks emotional connection. There is a real difference (versus classic recordings). But over time, listeners can get used to it.”
“I would like companies to make it clear to listeners that they are listening to an AI-generated piece,” he says. “Let them be honest about it.”
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