Want to hear The Wizard of Oz Read by Judy Garland or Sherlock Holmes read by Sir Laurence Olivier? ElevenLabs has AI-produced voice clones of them and other deceased celebrities available on its recently launched Reader app, thanks to a deal with the estates of several artists.
ElevenLabs’ Reader app allows users to hear any digital text, including articles, PDFs, and e-books, read by synthetic voices created using artificial intelligence. The company’s exclusive library of voices now features Hollywood legends among its choices. Initially, famous voices include James Dean, Burt Reynolds, Judy Garland, and Sir Laurence Olivier, created in collaboration with their respective estates.
“It's exciting to see our mother's voice available to the countless millions of people who love her,” Judy Garland's daughter, Garland Estate representative Liza Minnelli, said in a statement. “Through the spectacular new technology offered by ElevenLabs, our family believes this will bring new fans to Mama and will be exciting for those who already appreciate the incomparable legacy Mama gave and continues to give to the world.”
The Reader app uses sophisticated algorithms to ensure that the voiceovers are not only accurate, but also convey the right emotional tone and context. Those interested in hearing the voices can try out ElevenLabs’ Reader app for free for three months or subscribe to the ElevenLabs platform to gain access to the iOS app. An Android version will also be available soon.
If you don't want one of the famous voices, the Reader app has many others that users can adjust to get the accent, style, and tone they think works with the text they want to hear.
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Celebrity Sounds
ElevenLabs is introducing its new celebrity voices as a way to use artificial intelligence to preserve and celebrate cultural heritage. By recreating the voices of these legendary figures, the company says it is paying tribute to their contributions to the world while also opening the door for new contemporary audiences to learn about them.
Famous voices are only available for individual playback through the ElevenLabs Reader app. This means that users can have famous voices perform any narration for their own listening, but they cannot create content to share with others. This limit is meant to maintain respectful and appropriate use of these voices.
“Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds and Sir Laurence Olivier are some of the most celebrated actors in history. We deeply respect their legacy and are honored to have their voices on our platform,” said Dustin Blank, Director of Partnerships at ElevenLabs. “Adding them to our growing roster of narrators marks a major step forward in our mission to make content accessible in any language and voice.”
