Artificial intelligence brings the voices of deceased celebrities to life in the new Reader app by ElevenLabs

Last week, ElevenLabs, the AI powerhouse, took the spotlight with their groundbreaking new app, Reader. Imagine iconic voices like Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds, and Sir Laurence Olivier narrating your favorite books and articles—that’s exactly what this app does, thanks to AI.

Here’s the scoop:

Teaming Up with the Legends' Heirs: ElevenLabs didn’t just grab these voices from thin air. They collaborated with the heirs of these late stars to get the green light. This move tackles the tricky legal and ethical questions head-on.

App Ready to Rock: Reader is now live on iOS in the U.S., with an Android version coming soon. It’s starting with English, but over two dozen languages are on the horizon.

Content Galore: Whether it’s news articles, PDFs, or ePub files, you can feed them into Reader, and the AI voices will bring them to life.

Ethical Buzz: While some folks are all in, others are raising eyebrows about using voices of the departed. It’s a hot topic about consent, privacy, and potential misuse of AI-generated voices.

Shaking Up the Industry: ElevenLabs isn’t alone here. Big players like NBC are also diving into AI voices for content like sports commentary.

AI-generated celebrity voices are stirring up big questions about authenticity, consent, and the future of content creation. As this tech keeps evolving, expect more heated debates on the ethics and legality of recreating voices and images of the living and the dead.

AI celebrity voices are a revolution with huge upsides and some serious challenges.

The Good Stuff:

1. Fresh Content: AI can bring back the voices of legends, creating new works or reviving classic characters.
2. Custom Experience: Imagine picking your favorite star to narrate anything—totally possible with AI.

The Tricky Parts:

1. Ethical Dilemmas: Consent, especially from the deceased, is a major issue, along with the risk of exploiting someone’s likeness.
2. Industry Shake-Up: AI could edge out human voice actors, causing job losses and major shifts in the biz.

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How Are Celebrity Rights Being Shielded in the AI Era?

Here’s what’s being done to keep things fair:

1. New Laws: Some states are crafting fresh laws for AI content. Tennessee, for instance, rolled out the ELVIS Act in March 2024, protecting musicians by requiring consent for AI-generated voices.
2. Existing Legal Shields: Publicity rights laws still apply. In California, these rights extend 70 years after a celebrity’s death, guarding against unauthorized commercial use.
3. Heirs on Board: AI companies are getting the nod from celebrities’ heirs to use their voices, just like ElevenLabs did with Reader.
4. Tech Solutions: Efforts are underway to create tools that spot unauthorized AI use of celebrity images and voices.

These moves are all about striking a balance between the awesome potential of AI and safeguarding the rights and legacies of celebrities. As AI advances, expect more protective measures to roll out.