The Voiceover Dilemma: AI Voice vs Human Voice
Using an AI Voice versus a Human Voice
Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized several industries, making work more accessible and efficient. AI has quickly become a revolutionary tool in the realm of voiceovers.
It is now possible to use AI to produce an ai voice that sounds as natural as a human voice (well, almost... give it just a little longer!) The question, however, is when to use an AI voice for your voiceover instead of a human voice. Can you? Should you?
In Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldbloom's voice questions,
"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post! Before diving into the potential benefits of using synthetic voices, we must first understand our current landscape of emerging technology and its ethical implications.
You can watch many YouTube videos from the Center for Humane Technology - but this one, in particular, is worth your time:
The AI Dilemma from Center for Humane Technology.
Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin discuss the risks existing AI capabilities pose to society.
They highlight the need for safety measures as companies race to deploy AI quickly.
They consider what would be required to upgrade institutions for a post-A.I. world.
Understanding the landscape of AI voiceover technology is the first step in determining if it suits your project. AI voices have made leaps and bounds in recent years, allowing for an ai generated voice that can be nearly indistinguishable from a human voice. This has brought on the dark side of computer generated voice when people are stealing millions of dollars through phone scams. In just a few minutes, they can create a custom voice that sounds like someone's child or relative and create speech that persuades unknowing victims that something is terribly wrong and they need money immediately.
image by Towfiqu barbhuiya @towfiqu999999
In the music industry, "Heart of My Sleeve" created significant waves with the fake vocals of Drake and The Weekend. Record labels stepped in immediately, and the viral recording was taken down.
I've personally read hundreds of Facebook threads about ai voice overs taking over our jobs. What does our future look like as a voice artist? Can it match our natural voice or create brand-new custom voices? Will I no longer be able to make an income through voicing explainer videos or e learning projects because it's too easy to choose different voices in a matter of seconds?
Here are a few articles to check out that specifically talk about how the voiceover industry is affected by these new voice generators.
image by NASA @nasa
New technologies often come with risks and a potential dark side. But what about the positive side? How can we promote human flourishing?
AI voice technology can help with accessibility, expand job opportunities and become an effective way to reach global audiences. AI voices can help bridge the gap in a language barrier and open up a whole new market for jobs that are hard to fill with human voices. Who wouldn't want their message heard by people who speak different languages?
Additionally, AI voiceover technology is cost-effective and time efficient. With just one click of a button, you can create multiple versions of your script at a fraction of the cost of having a human voice it over. It also saves time on editing; many times, less time is needed when using AI generated voices because there's less natural variation between takes that needs to be accounted for.
image by Annie Spratt @anniespratt
Many powerful tools create text to speech. One tool that I love is Descript.com.
Descript.com is an AI-driven platform that streamlines the process of creating content. It uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning technologies to enable users to create audio from text with just a few simple clicks. With Descript, you can easily create professional-quality audio files for podcasts, explainer videos, educational materials, and more – all without hiring a human voice actor. You don't need to create a new audio file and splice it in. It creates speech from the transcript, and the ai voices it for you. It actually sounds like your own voice!
In addition to Descript.com, another excellent tool for text to speech is FlexClip. With FlexClip TTS, you can also easily convert written content into lifelike speech, giving your videos, presentations, and other multimedia projects a professional and engaging touch.
Yikes! There goes my voiceover career! Maybe. My job will look different, so I'm embracing new opportunities to help small businesses and brands grow by authentically connecting with their audience. There will always be a need for this!
Understanding the ethical implications: When should you use an AI voiceover, and when should you stick with a human voiceover?
Suppose your project requires a highly sophisticated performance or specific nuances only humans can convey. In that case, it's better to hire a professional voice talent. Even though artificial voices aim to be natural sounding, you can still hear or feel the difference. What if you can’t hear or feel the difference, and it’s exactly the same? In this case, know your audience. Will they appreciate a human touch? Or does an AI voice not bother them? How can you be most authentic to the audience you are reaching?
When the goal is to create a professional voiceover that does not need as much complexity and nuance, and your audience does not care, or you have a small budget, it's worth considering an AI voiceover.
In addition to the decision of whether or not to use AI for your project, there are certain benefits to using synthetic voices. For instance, AI-generated voices are faster and cheaper than human voices. AI-generated voices are more consistent than human voices because you can customize the voice according to your needs and use it for multiple projects without worrying about changing inflection or other nuances in the original recording.
Ask yourself this: What does my audience want to hear? Who do they trust?
An AI Voice Can Be A Cost-Effective Solution
image by Alex Knight @agk42
One of the primary benefits of using AI voices instead of human voiceovers is the cost. AI voiceovers cost a fraction of what you would pay for a human voiceover artist. This factor is crucial, especially when working on a tight budget. AI technology allows businesses to create multiple voiceovers in different languages at a competitive price. Therefore, an AI voiceover may be ideal when working on tight budgets or dealing with straightforward communications such as instructions.
I've lost many jobs because I was "too expensive." The client went with a cheaper option and ultimately returned to me to redo it because the more frugal option needed to sound more professional. Now, clients needing an affordable alternative can stay within budget and have better quality content.
AI Voices Can Offer Consistent Quality
Another benefit of using AI voiceovers is consistency. Not all human voiceover actors can maintain the same pitch, pace, and tone throughout. With AI technology, you can retain the same quality, tone, and speed of the voice throughout the recording. This solution is ideal for lengthy projects requiring more work to maintain consistency with a human voiceover actor.
AI Voices Offer More Than One Language
image by Hannah Wright @hannahwrightdesigner
Most human voiceover artists can speak only one language at a time. An AI voiceover, on the other hand, can speak multiple languages without language barriers. Clients can reach a more global audience if that's their goal. Furthermore, an AI voiceover can help overcome the challenge of pronunciation and intonation, which may not come naturally to human voiceover artists. This is vital, especially in international organizations that deliver messages to various listeners.
Instant Fix: AI Voices Can Give A Quick Turnaround Time
Creating voiceovers can be time-consuming and require long hours with the voiceover artist. With an AI voiceover, the turnaround time is significantly reduced. This is particularly helpful when businesses or organizations need to launch significant promotions or campaigns quickly. It also benefits A/B testing with different speech styles and background music. AI technology can help organizations save time and money by taking on this project within a shorter period.
AI Voices Offer Creative Freedom
While AI may not be capable of performing complex emotions or nuanced performances, AI provides directors and producers greater creative freedom regarding voice choice, pacing, and tone. Using the technology, directors and producers can change every aspect of the voice, from gender and accent to modulation, in line with the project's needs in minutes, not days or weeks.
Example Of An AI Voice Generator
Resemble ai is a cutting-edge platform specializing in voice cloning technology using artificial intelligence. This innovative platform allows users to create custom AI-generated voices that can be used for various applications, such as voiceovers for videos, podcasts, virtual assistants, video games, and more.
Resemble.ai works by utilizing deep learning algorithms to analyze and replicate the unique characteristics of a person's voice. Users can provide a set of voice samples from the desired voice talent, and Resemble.ai's AI models will then generate a synthetic voice that closely mimics the original voice in terms of tone, pitch, pacing, and other vocal nuances.
One of the key features of Resemble.ai is its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for users to train and customize their own AI voices without requiring extensive technical expertise. Users can fine-tune the generated voices by adjusting pitch, speed, and emotion parameters to suit their specific needs.
Voice actors can be a part of this, license their voice, and make a little money on the side. But I say that with great caution - very little money on the side. It’s not enough to live off of. As a voice talent, we will need to learn how to work alongside ai voices, not fight against them. What will that look like? How can we continue to delight our customers?
Conclusion:
AI Voiceover technology offers businesses a fast, affordable, and efficient way to create original audio content. This technology can utilize advanced AI algorithms to generate voiceovers that resemble human voices in tonality, inflection, pacing, emotion, and more. It also provides flexibility, as users can adjust parameters such as pitch and speed to suit their needs. Additionally, AI Voiceover technology can speak multiple languages without language barriers, making it an ideal solution for businesses looking to reach a global audience. AI voiceover technology is revolutionizing the audio content creation industry and offers many advantages over traditional human voiceovers.
