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 ]
"Paddington" and "Downton Abbey" star Hugh Bonneville is voicing the free audiobook for Nosy Crow's recently released children's e-book about coronavirus. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-20 18:06:43 UTC ]
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Subscribers to audiobook subscription platform BookBeat are growing during the coronavirus pandemic, with bestsellers and well-known authors performing best. The post Sweden’s BookBeat Rides High on the Pandemic’s Audiobook Boom appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-20 13:45:35 UTC ]
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Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Narrators Shiromi Arserio and Jason Carpenter are perfectly matched in this modern-day fairy... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-17 17:18:43 UTC ]
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Michelle Obama's Becoming (Penguin) was Audible's most downloaded audiobook for the week ending 12th April, with the self-narrated autobiography continuing on from its success across 2018 and 2019. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-16 04:23:02 UTC ]
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Investigate the history of American cuisine, indulge in neighborhood drama, and find reconciliation between enemies in our April audiobook picks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-04-15 21:02:05 UTC ]
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Investigate the history of American cuisine, indulge in neighborhood drama, and find reconciliation between enemies in our April audiobook picks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-04-15 21:02:05 UTC ]
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Investigate the history of American cuisine, indulge in neighborhood drama, and find reconciliation between enemies in our April audiobook picks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-04-15 21:02:05 UTC ]
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HarperNonFiction is releasing an early audiobook edition of Adam Buxton's memoir in May—its first to be recorded entirely remotely. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-01 21:06:52 UTC ]
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The audiobook version of Shola Von Reinhold's debut, Lote (Jacaranda), will feature narration from award-winning “Fresh Meat” star Zawe Ashton. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-25 17:44:53 UTC ]
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So you wanna take a queer road trip (like to every shooting location for both L Words) and are looking for audiobook companions, or—probably more accurately given the current pandemic of it all—you wanna hole up in your house alone for days on end, scouring the queer literary canon for... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-24 08:48:34 UTC ]
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Get ready for hours of listening because we've rounded up some of the very best audiobook series in a variety of genres for readers of all ages. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-23 10:37:15 UTC ]
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One audiobook listener scoured the internet and came up with this list of the best websites offering good audiobook reviews. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-23 10:34:10 UTC ]
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Quercus has announced that actresses Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones will voice the audiobook for Beth O’Leary’s second novel, The Switch. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-22 19:29:39 UTC ]
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Looking for ways to entertain kids and teens at home? Audible has launched Audible Stories, a free service that offers family-friendly educational and entertaining audiobook content. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-19 19:24:21 UTC ]
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As a result of the coronavirus crisis, sales at digital audiobook store Libro.fm and online bookstore Bookshop.org have soared. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. AudioFile’s Josephine Reed spoke with author and National Ambassador for Young People’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-10 08:48:25 UTC ]
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Actress Stephanie Ellyne narrates the audiobook version of Lucy Ellmann's Ducks, Newburyport, which spans 45 hours and 34 minutes. The post Lucy Ellmann’s 45-Hour Audiobook appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2020-03-04 21:30:45 UTC ]
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The publisher of Stephen King, Judy Blume and Hillary Clinton doesn’t fit with the plans of its parent, ViacomCBS, which has placed a big bet on digital video. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-03-04 20:20:26 UTC ]
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The journalist Garrett Graff's 'The Only Plane in the Sky'–on the attacks of 9/11–wins the Audiobook of the Year Audie for Simon & Schuster Audio. The post Audio Publishers Association Names 25th Anniversary Audie Awards appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-03 11:30:57 UTC ]
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At the Audio Publishers Association's annual Audie Awards, which marked a quarter century this year, 'The Only Plane in the Sky' took home the top award and Stephen King received a lifetime achievement as host Mo Rocca and others saluted the progress of the audiobook form over the past 25 years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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