Amazon's audiobook platform 'Audible' has released about 40,000 AI-narrated works.
With the recent development of AI technology, AI-based synthetic voices have reached a level that is comparable to human voices. It has been reported that approximately 40,000 books are read aloud by AI-synthesized voices on Amazon's audiobook platform,
AI-Voiced Audiobooks Top 40,000 Titles on Audible - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-05-02/audible-s-test-of-ai-voiced-audiobooks-tops-40-000-titles
40,000 AI-narrated audiobooks flood Audible, dividing authors and listeners | TechSpot
In November 2023, Amazon began offering an audiobook creation tool using synthetic speech to users of Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), a service that allows users to self-publish e-books and paper books. Author Hassan Osman, who used this tool, reported that it took him only 52 minutes to turn his book into an audiobook. Some authors say that entrusting the narration to AI instead of humans can also reduce costs, saving hundreds of dollars (tens of thousands of yen) to thousands of dollars (hundreds of thousands of yen) per title.
More than 40,000 synthetic audiobooks have been created in the few months between the launch of the tool and May 2024. Below is an example of a synthetic audiobook published on Audible, with the narrator listed as 'Virtual Voice' in the 'Narrated by' column.
However, some users have pointed out that they cannot filter out audiobooks that use synthetic voices on Audible, and that this takes away work from human narrators and leads to a decrease in quality. X user Karen Van Drie said, 'I was very disappointed to discover a synthetic audiobook on Audible. Imagine the lost talent.'
So depressing to discover Virtual Voice narrations of audiobooks on Audible. Yes, they are good enough. Alas.
— Karen Van Drie (@worldlibraries) April 15, 2024
Think of all that human talent that will no longer be employed. #ArtificialIntelligence #MachinesNotHumans
Narrator Ramon de Ocampo also pointed out that 'jobs aren't being taken away, but they're slowly being taken away.'
It has not taken all the jobs. But it's trying to. Request that audible include a filter to allow you to not see virtual voices if you choose. Right now you're drowning in them and can't stop it.
— Ramon de Ocampo (@ramondeocampo) December 18, 2023
However, an Audible spokesperson said, 'The synthetic speech feature is still in beta as we continue to innovate on your behalf and learn more about what our customers want.' 'Audiobooks that use synthetic speech have received high ratings, with an average overall rating of 4 or higher out of 5.'
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