OpenAI just announced that it recently conducted a small-scale preview of a new tool called Voice Engine. This is a voice cloning technology that can mimic any speaker by analyzing a 15-second audio sample. The company says it generates “natural-sounding speech” with “emotive and realistic voices.” The technology is based on the company’s pre-existing text-to-speech API and it has been in the works since 2022. OpenAI has already been using a version of the toolset to power the preset voices available in the current text-to-speech API and the Read Aloud feature. There are a bunch of samples on the company’s official blog and they sound eerily close to the real thing. I encourage you to give them a listen and imagine the possibilities, both good and bad. OpenAI says they see this technology being useful for reading assistance, language translation and helping those who suffer from sudden or degenerative speech conditions. The company brought up a Brown University pilot program that helped a patient with speech impairment issues by creating a Voice Engine clone pulled from audio recorded for a school project. Despite the potential benefits, bad actors would certainly abuse this technology to engage in some serious deepfake tomfoolery, which is already a problem. With this in mind, Voice Engine isn’t quite ready for prime time, as there are serious privacy concerns that must be met before a full rollout. OpenAI acknowledges that this tech has “serious risks, which are... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-03-29 19:03:56 UTC ]
The best YA ebook deals, sponsored by the audiobook of The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina.`the audiobook of The Silent Unseen by Amanda... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-04-09 10:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble has been revamping its digital audiobook offerings, and yesterday announced the launch B&N Audiobooks. The new service has a catalog of more than 300,000 titles, and has two buying options. Customers can buy audiobooks individually or enroll in a new subscription service... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble finally has a direct answer to Amazon's purchase of Audible. The bookseller has launched a B&N Audiobooks service in the US that lets you either buy recordings or pay $15 per month for a subscription that offers one recurring monthly credit. You'll have access to more than... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-04-07 16:21:47 UTC ]
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Today’s edition of Mystery Daily Deals is sponsored by the audiobook edition of The Resting Place. `the audiobook edition of The Resting... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-04-04 14:37:45 UTC ]
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Even though we both love middle grade books, it turns out that my nephew is looking for different things from an audiobook than I am. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-03-29 10:30:00 UTC ]
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Today’s edition of Mystery Daily Deals is sponsored by the audiobook edition of The Darkest Place. `the audiobook edition of The Darkest... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-03-28 13:53:26 UTC ]
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Get the skinny on the best audiobook subscription services, pricing, as well as some pros and cons of each. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-03-28 10:38:00 UTC ]
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The best YA ebook deals, sponsored by the audiobook edition of The Lost Dreamer. `the audiobook edition of The Lost... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-03-26 10:00:00 UTC ]
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To see on primetime television the activists who fought for disability rights in the 1990s was a profoundly moving momentBefore we even reach the opening titles of Then Barbara Met Alan – the BBC’s one-off drama depicting the fight for the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), which aired on... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-03-22 06:00:48 UTC ]
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2022 is turning out to be a great year if you love science fiction, fantasy and horror books Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-03-15 11:00:26 UTC ]
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The 27th Audie Awards honored winners in 25 categories in a 70 minute digital awards program with Kal Penn hosting. The post Awards: The ‘Project Hail Mary’ Audiobook Wins the 2022 Audies appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-03-05 15:15:51 UTC ]
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'Project Hail Mary' by Andy Weir and narrated by Ray Porter was named the Audiobook of the Year at the 2022 Audie Awards held March 4. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Over half a decade later, a new Kickstarter campaign has finally eclipsed Pebble's crowdfunding record on the website. Fantasy and sci-fi author Brandon Sanderson set up a campaign to raise $1 million within 30 days to fund four secret books he intends to release every quarter next year. It... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-03-04 12:57:00 UTC ]
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Duvall Hecht, audiobook pioneer and founder of Books on Tape, died on February 10 at his home in Costa Mesa, Calif. He was 91. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-02-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Listen to an audiobook or bookish podcast while piecing these together to celebrate your book love and block out the stresses of the world.- Danika Ellis Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-02-20 11:35:00 UTC ]
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The founder of Audible Inc., a leading force in the booming audiobook industry, will be honored in May at PEN America’s annual gala Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2022-02-18 15:03:22 UTC ]
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A look at six of today's biggest and most interesting YA audiobook performers, with a little about who they are and some of their best work. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-02-12 11:31:00 UTC ]
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Stephen King has written “a magnificent and terrifying tale” about a teenage boy with keys to a parallel world. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-25 09:54:00 UTC ]
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A bunch of new tech sales cropped up at the start of the week for things like robot vacuums, game controllers and more, and many of them are still around today. A trio of iRobot devices remain discounted, with the most affordable of the bunch coming in at $179. Some of Amazon's Fire tablets are... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-01-21 16:45:26 UTC ]
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Interviews Weina Dai Randel burst onto the literary scene a number of years ago with her duology about Empress Wu Zetian, China’s first woman leader. After winning the prestigious Rita Award in 2017 and seeing her novels translated into seven... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2022-01-20 14:33:49 UTC ]
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