ElevenLabs is launching an online platform that allows companies to license the voices of eminent characters replicated by artificial intelligence for their content and advertising. Startup AI Audio claims this is up-to-date Iconic voice market addresses some of the ethical issues surrounding the apply of AI-generated celebrity voices, providing brands with “the consent-based, performer-first approach that the industry has been demanding.”
It works by connecting companies with whoever owns the rights to a particular voice, and the ElevenLabs platform serves as an intermediary that formalizes the licensing agreement and synthesizes the voices. ElevenLabs says the marketplace is only open to a select list of “verified, iconic talent and IP owners” to ensure that high-profile voices are only generated “with permission, transparency and fair compensation.”
Some of the AI voices were obtained using cloning technology, while others were recreated synthetically, referring to historical or archival recordings. I think calling it a “celebrity voice market” would be a stretch, considering that this list includes historical figures like Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, and Alan Turing, and most people wouldn’t recognize what Actually sound like. Michael Caine is one of the few living stars who has lent his voice to ElevenLabs and has stated that the company “gives everyone the tools to be heard.”
“It’s not about replacing voices, but about amplifying them, opening doors for new storytellers around the world,” Caine said in a statement about the ElevenLabs announcement. “I have spent my entire life telling stories. ElevenLabs will help the next generation tell theirs.”
Here is a complete list of all 28 voices currently available on the market: