An AI-generated Michael Caine will narrate a 13-hour audiobook version of The Odyssey, Variety reports. The project is the work of leading AI speech start-up ElevenLabs. I’m disappointed that Caine, who knows a thing or two about being a struggling working class actor trying to make a name for himself, would put his name to something that stands to limit opportunities for new talent further down the ladder.
Caine’s affiliation with ElevenLabs isn’t new, as the Oscar winner licensed his voice and likeness last year to the firm’s “Iconic Marketplace,” its collection of characters that companies can pay to use for commercial purposes. But this partnership expands the arrangement, one Blank said is rooted in “consent and compensation.” ElevenLabs pays creators every time their voices are used in ElevenReader, and in Caine’s case, he was specifically consulted about the project and approved the marketing materials, Blank said. (Whether he’s heard the final project, however, couldn’t be determined.)
Michael Caine’s AI-Generated Voice to Narrate ‘The Odyssey’ Audiobook Ahead of Christopher Nolan’s Movie · variety.comThe AI audio firm is using Caine’s voice to anchor a roughly 13-hour version of “The Odyssey” weeks before Christopher Nolan’s film hits theaters.