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 ]
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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Hodder & Stoughton will publish Stephen King’s second novel of 2014, Revival, in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Titan Books's pulp imprint Hard Case Crime will be releasing two new editions of Stephen King's "Joyland," which it originally published in June 2013. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen King’s follow-up to his 1977 novel The Shining was the most buzzed-about book on social media for the month of September. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite his early support for ebooks, Stephen King latest novel, Joyland will be published in print only, with no digital version anticipated. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen King said his new novel, 'Joyland,' will be released in paper format only. 'Let people ... go to an actual bookstore,' said King. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a move to bump up physical book sales, Stephen King will not release an ebook version of his new novel, "Joyland," the Wall Street Journal reports.In a move to bump up physical book sales, Stephen King will not release an ebook version of his new novel, "Joyland," the Wall Street Journal reports. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder & Stoughton has put an interactive version of the cover of Stephen King's... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new novel by Stephen King, Joyland, is to be published by Titan Books imprint Hard Case Crime... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In this spooky, atmospheric debut novel, readers enter a sterile, off-kilter world of horror — sort of — that is more David Lynch than Stephen King.Threats Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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