Edward Herrmann, a prolific actor who narrated dozens of audiobooks, died nearly a decade ago, but that hasn’t stopped him from being the voice of several recent audiobooks, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Herrmann’s most recent work is generated by DeepZen, a London-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) startup that was given access to the actor’s previous recordings with permission from his family.
From that, DeepZen indicated that it is capable of generating any sounds and intonations that Herrmann would have used if he himself were narrating these new books.
“We felt it was an amazing way to carry on his legacy,” said Rory Herrmann, a Los Angeles restaurateur and Herrmann’s son.
He added that he was surprised when he first heard an audiobook with his father’s synthetic voice.
Generative AI technology, a type of AI that can create various types of content, including text, images, and audio, has become a buzzword since OpenAI’s ChatGPT was released in late 2022.
DeepZen has worked with more than 30 professional actors to help its AI engine capture the full range of human emotion, said Taylan Kamis, its CEO and co-founder.
The startup pays its storytellers a flat fee plus a royalty based on the revenue the company generates from different projects. The agreements span several years, Kamis said.
DeepZen says it has signed deals with 35 publishers in the US and abroad and is working with 25 authors.
The AI engine created by DeepZen uses machine learning software that replicates how a person speaks, as well as the characteristics of a person’s voice.
It can add excitement and focus on words that are difficult to pronounce, such as the names of characters in science fiction novels or the smallest cities in China, Kamis said.
“It’s easier than using a human storyteller,” he said.
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