Audible wants the next audiobook you hear to be narrated by AI

In a move that we’re frankly astonished has taken this long to come to fruition, Audible will extend its already vast selection of audiobooks by conjuring new narrators out of thin air. That’s not some vague hint about Bezos’ lizard powers, but instead the company’s decision to dish out “fully integrated, end-to-end AI production technology” to whip up an audiobook in record time.

*audible groan*

You read that right. Why spend valuable time and money seeking out and paying real-life human narrators when you can pass off the task onto artificial intelligence (AI)? Audible’s reasoning is to help unknown creators have their books heard by the ears of the many – and make a little extra cash at the same time. It’s a novel idea, but not one we’re keen on if it means sifting through potentially thousands of AI audiobooks on the platform.

“Audible believes that AI represents a momentous opportunity to expand the availability of audiobooks with the vision of offering customers every book in every language, alongside our continued investments in premium original content,” said Bob Carrigan, Audible’s CEO.

Audible’s AI-powered narration, powered by Amazon’s tech, will first be available to select interested publishers in the coming months, where they’ll be given a choice of production. Either let Audible handle it all, and manage “every step from initial text ingestion to published audiobook.” Or go down the self-service route, accessing the same underlying tech while remaining in control of the audiobook’s direction.

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Regardless of production, publishers will have a choice of over 100 AI-generated narrators, available in English, Spanish, French, and Italian, “with multiple accent and dialect options” to choose from. If you aren’t thrilled with the initial production, publishers can alter their audiobooks after they’re released as the company’s AI technology evolves.

Also joining Audible’s AI repertoire is a new translation tool that’ll initially roll out in beta to select publishers in the coming months, allowing them to have their books and audiobooks translated from English to Spanish, French, Italian, and German. That might sound like a recipe for disaster, but Amazon assures us that publishers will have the option to have their text and audio reviewed by “professional linguists” to ensure accuracy.

“Our roadmap includes expanding our offerings across more languages, accents and unique character performances to serve increasingly diverse global audiences and unlock new creative possibilities,” it said. “Publishers interested in learning more about AI narration and translation can reach out to their Audible representatives.”