Amazon's AI Audiobook Narrators: A Step Forward or a Step Too Far?

Amazon is shaking up the audiobook world this week by introducing AI-generated voice clones to Audible. The goal? Speeding up audiobook production and making more titles available in audio format. This beta test, however, is only available to a small group of US-based Audible narrators for now. These lucky few will be able to train AI replicas of their voices to read audiobooks for them. But don't worry—they'll still have control over which projects their AI voice is used for, ensuring no surprises in their professional portfolios.


While this might sound futuristic, Amazon isn't stopping there. Later this year, the company plans to extend the offer to authors, publishers, and agents. It's all part of their mission to bring more books to life through Audible's vast catalog. According to Amazon, many books haven't been converted into audio yet, and this new tech could help speed up the process.

So, how does it work? The narrators submit a voice recording that Amazon's AI will use to generate a clone of their voice. Once their AI voice is up and running, narrators can still jump in to fine-tune things like pronunciation and pacing if they get picked for a project. And yes, they'll get paid—but it'll be through a "Royalty Share" model. However, details on how much they can expect to earn are still a bit vague. But narrators do have a safety net: their AI voice won't be used for any project without their permission, and they'll retain control over its use.

This isn't Amazon's first foray into synthetic voices. Last year, they rolled out a feature for Kindle Direct Publishing authors, allowing them to turn their books into audiobooks with fully synthetic voices. According to Bloomberg, 40,000 Audible titles have already been converted using virtual voices. This has sparked concerns from some human narrators, like Ramon de Ocampo, who fear this tech could chip away at job opportunities.

For now, Amazon insists that beta participants won't have to pay for the voice clone service, but this could change once it becomes more widely available. And while this all sounds great for audiobook fans eager for more content, some might not be too keen on the idea of synthetic voices taking over. There's currently no easy way to filter out these AI-narrated books on Audible, meaning listeners might have to pay extra attention if they prefer a human touch.

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