ElevenLabs Partners With Celebrities for AI Voice Tech
▼ Summary
– ElevenLabs partnered with actors Michael Caine and Matthew McConaughey to create AI-generated versions of their voices.
– Hollywood’s relationship with AI has been mixed, with concerns about AI contributing to past industry strikes, though some artists are now embracing the technology.
– Meta previously introduced AI voice assistants featuring actresses Kristen Bell and Judi Dench, while McConaughey’s AI voice will translate his newsletter into Spanish.
– ElevenLabs launched a marketplace allowing brands to license authorized AI-generated celebrity voices, including Caine, Liza Minelli, and Dr. Maya Angelou.
– ElevenLabs is a prominent AI unicorn company supported by investors such as a16z and ICONIQ.
The AI voice technology sector is witnessing a significant shift as ElevenLabs forges strategic partnerships with high-profile celebrities to develop authorized digital voice replicas. This week, the company confirmed agreements with acclaimed actors Michael Caine and Matthew McConaughey, enabling the generation of their voices through artificial intelligence. This development marks a notable evolution in the entertainment industry’s relationship with AI, which has historically been marked by tension and concern over creative rights and ethical boundaries.
Hollywood’s journey with artificial intelligence has been complex, characterized by both apprehension and gradual acceptance. Widespread unease about AI’s potential impact on artistic professions was a central issue during recent industry-wide strikes, prompting deep discussions about regulation and protection for human talent. In the time since, a noticeable thaw has occurred, with a growing number of performers and creators exploring how they might collaborate with this emerging technology rather than oppose it entirely.
This trend is not isolated to ElevenLabs. Last year, Meta revealed its own initiative to incorporate celebrity-inspired voices into its AI assistants, featuring well-known actresses such as Kristen Bell and Judi Dench. For ElevenLabs, the partnership with McConaughey, who is also an investor in the company, includes practical applications like converting his written newsletter into Spanish-language audio using his own AI-generated voice, making his content accessible to a broader audience.
Simultaneously, ElevenLabs unveiled a new marketplace designed specifically for brands seeking to utilize officially licensed AI voices of famous personalities. This platform will initially offer the voices of Michael Caine alongside other iconic figures including Liza Minelli and the late Dr. Maya Angelou, providing a curated library for commercial and creative projects.
As a leading firm in the AI voice synthesis space, ElevenLabs has achieved unicorn status, attracting substantial investment from prominent backers such as Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and ICONIQ Capital. The company’s growing portfolio of celebrity voice partnerships signals a strategic move to legitimize and scale the use of synthetic media, positioning itself at the intersection of technology and entertainment.
(Source: TechCrunch)
