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 ]
This week: a horror novel worthy of Stephen King, plus a history of class in America. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week: new Stephen King, the hatred of poetry, and the definitive Diane Arbus biography. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen King is one of hundreds of resident authors in the US to have signed an open letter, addressed to "the American People", expressing their opposition to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Clare Mackintosh will compete against the likes of Stephen King and Robert Galbraith for the Crime fiction convention CrimeFest annual awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German media group reiterates plan to increase stake to 70-75% as full-year core profits climb 4.7%Bertelsmann has reported a 4.7% rise in full-year core profit and reiterated its plan to raise its stake in Penguin Random House, the book publisher which helped to drive the earnings increase. The... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Christian Lorentzen talks to the legendary editor in an extract from a forthcoming issue of the Paris ReviewIt’s the custom for editors to keep a low profile and to underplay any changes they may make to an author’s manuscript. Gordon Lish is a different animal. Not since Maxwell Perkins has an... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scribner has scooped up the rights to most of Stephen King's works, in every format you can imagine, the publisher announced Monday. The deal includes many of King's horror classics, including "Christine," "IT," "The Dead Zone," "Cujo," "Misery," "The Tommyknockers," "Firestarter" and "Dolores... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We asked you what three authors you'd take to your desert island. You said William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Stephen King. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen King and Robert Galbraith, the pen name for J K Rowling, are among those longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for the best crime novel of the year, for Mr Mercedes (Hodder & Stoughton) and The Silkworm (Sphere) respectively. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week: Judy Blume's first novel for adults in 17 years, Stephen King's latest, and the absolutely incredible story of Stalin's daughter. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen King, Chris Albani and Gillian Flynn were among the winners at Wednesday night's 69th Annual Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards, held in New York City at the Grand Hyatt. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A collection of stories from Stephen King and the autobiography of footballer Didier Drogba will be among the new releases from Hodder & Stoughton this year. The Hachette UK division last night (12th March) held its annual showcase event, unveiling its highlights for the year ahead, which... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S reported a 12% rise in revenue in the second quarter of 2014, credited the growth to such print bestsellers as Hillary Clinton's 'Hard Choices' and Stephen King's 'Mr. Mercedes.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nearly 900 authors across world back criticism of online retailer's business tactics in ebooks dispute with US publisher HachetteThey include some of the biggest literary names on the planet, among them Stephen King, Donna Tartt, Paul Auster, James Patterson and John Grisham; a Pulitzer prize... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Novels by Kate Atkinson, Stephen King and Muriel Spark have all had namesakes. Should writers adopt the imitator-proof JK Rowling approach instead?People first started to notice last year when Kate Atkinson's Life After Life coincided in the US with Jill McCorkle's Life After Life, which had... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Mr. Mercedes," Stephen King's latest novel, came in at #2 on Apple's iBooks bestseller list for the week ended June 9, behind "The Fault in Our Stars." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week, new Stephen King, new Herman Koch, and the best literary puzzle of the summer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New England may cull up images of bucolic fields, snow-covered mountains, sparkling lakes, and mud season, but it’s also home to a veritable who’s who of bestselling authors ranging from Stephen King, Dan Brown and Henry Louis Gates Jr. to Mary Oliver and Julia Glass. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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