AMAZON QUEST TO HASTEN AUDIOBOOK PRODUCTION: INVITES NARRATORS TO TRAIN AI VOICE CLONES!
In a bold, yet slightly controversial move, Amazon has stepped up its game in the voice technology industry. The tech giant recently announced a US-only beta test through the Audible’s creator marketplace, revealing plans to train artificial intelligence (AI)-generated voice clones of a select group of Audible narrators. If successful, this could effortlessly expedite audiobook production, drastically changing the future landscape of the audiobook industry.
The project won't be taking voices away from the narrators. Quite the opposite in fact. According to Amazon, narrators will submit a voice recording to train their AI replicas, but will remain firmly in control of both their live performances and AI-generated recordings. Put simply, each narrator will have their voice clone to assist, and potentially increase, their production rate.
As a bonus, Amazon’s advanced production tools will allow narrators to tweak their AI voice's pronunciation and pace. They will also have the last say in reviewing the final production to correct any errors or inaccuracies. This level of control ensures narrators can maintain their distinct styles and quality, even when employing their AI voice clone.
Amazon has chosen a "Royalty Share" model to compensate narrators for this initiative, where payment is made on a "title-by-title" basis. The approach implies a potentially lucrative opportunity for narrators as they could generate income through royalties from past, present, and future projects.
However, the announcement also hinted that there might be an upfront cost for narrators if the feature becomes generally available in the future. This could potentially be a hurdle for some narrators, especially those just getting started.
To maintain transparency, Amazon has also ensured that titles narrated by voice replicas will be clearly identified on the product detail page, but only with the express approval of the narrator. This means that listeners will know if the voice telling them a story is an AI clone or the original voice talent.
But this isn't Amazon's first foray into synthetic voice use. Last year, Amazon allowed Kindle Direct Publishing authors to convert their titles into audiobooks using entirely synthetic voices. The move raised concerns over job opportunities for human performers, sparking a debate about the ethics of AI replacing human work.
While the utilization of synthetic voices can certainly expedite audiobook production and provide a more diverse range of voices, it raises pertinent questions about the future of human narrators in the industry. If AI voice clones become mainstream, will humans still have a significant role to play in audiobook narration?
Only time will tell how the audiobook industry adapts to this progression. For now, Amazon's new initiative with AI voice clones signals a fascinating yet challenging step toward the future of audiobook production. Stability lies in adaptability. Therefore, industry professionals should be prepared to evolve and find ways to make this technology supplement rather than supplant human creativity and expression.