An A.I. company is now offering a service that takes audio samples of loved ones who have passed away and uses generative AI to create new messages in their voice. It raises an unsettling question: has A.I. gone too far?
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Episode Transcript
This is the fits in with Cake Richie podcast fits.
I think we have to draw the line somewhere when
it comes to AI, and I think this might be
the point, because you know, you can recreate people's voices, right.
So eleven Labs, which is probably the leader in voice AI,
they just signed Matthew McConaughey and Bill Murray I think.
(00:22):
So they've done a deal with those artists I suppose,
or those personalities. So there's a license fee attached to
their voice through this platform. So if you want Matthew
McConaughey to do something, you don't need to go to cameo.
You can just get his voice through eleven Labs to
recreate whatever you want to say.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I'd love to know what they get paid for that though,
because why would AI have to pay the celebrity to
do that when they could probably just use their voice
put it in.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
That's what they just them and do it for free.
That's what they're doing. But they have to have ownership
over their voice. You can't just have Matthew McConaughey.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
But isn't that what everyone That's what it's all about, Like,
I mean, you can use anybody's celebrity voice. I mean
I could go and get a Michael Jackson one. Now
it hasn't been approved by Michael Jacksons.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
No, but if you wanted it for commercial purposes, to say,
do a trailer of a video, and you wanted Matthew
McConaughey saying in a land before a time, then you'd
have to pay for that. So but when you buy
his voice, you have to pay, and you buy his
voice to use it on that app. Here's the interesting thing.
If a loved one was to pass away, do you
(01:26):
think it's right to be able to use their voice
to continue to talk to you?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Yeah? I think that's fine.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So imagine Mick Fitzgerald, God bless me, he passes away,
and then you've got a recording of his voice, and
you want to be able to speak to Mick. And
this platform is able to know what mixed personality is
like and recreate the voice. Would you want that?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Well, it's the did you ever see that viral video
of the TV show where the young boy lost his
dog and the dad went on eggs List for someone
to record a message from the dog. So he needed
a voiceover guy. Yeah, but he got some guy who
answered it, and he was. He was in a hard
(02:12):
tourist didn't sound like the dog at all, And the
kid was crying his eyes out, going, that doesn't that
doesn't sound like our dog was going. The dog was saying,
I've gone to heaven now just forget about me. It's okay,
but in an Asian accent, and the poor kid's going,
that's not what our dog sounds like.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Yeah, that doesn't work. You don't need to go to
Craigslist anymore. But he's like, he's an example of what's
recently been released in this program. The grandmother's passed away,
so that it's mum and baby daughter. Okay, but you'll
hear the ai of the mum who's no longer here.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
He's getting bigger, see oh my wonderful, kicking like crazy.
He's listening. Put your hand on your chummy and humda him.
You still love to say.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Would you tell Charlie that bedtime story you always used
to tell me?
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Once upon a time there was a baby unicorn who
didn't know he knew.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
How to find I'm ihoved by it. It's a bit creepy.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
I don't I don't know if it's a healthy thing
or not, because I know when someone passes there is
an element to move on from. Your grief is you
need to move past.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
It, especially a kid, because if you're a kid and
you've got Grandma who's not with us anymore, reading your
bedtime stories on a regular basis, you think Grandma is still.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
There, annoying to when your phone goes flat and your
kids screaming for Grandma.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
And then and then as you get older and becoming adult,
you realize, so Grandma just used to read me stories
but never would come and see us. What an absolute male?
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Your mom? What a stinker?
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Never just always on the phone. Relationship with my grandmother.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Kate Ritchie is a not for podcast all great shows
like this. Download the Nova Player via the App Store
or Google Play.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
The Nova Player
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