‘NATIONAL TREASURE’

Oscar Winner’s AI-Generated Voice Used for ‘The Odyssey’

The 13-hour audiobook is narrated by an AI Michael Cane replica.

The new audiobook rendition of The Odyssey will use an AI-generated narrator. Michael Caine, 93, is the inspiration for the AI audiobook’s narration. Tuesday’s 13-hour release by audiobook firm ElevenLabs comes just weeks before the airing of a film rendition of The Odyssey directed by Christopher Nolan, 55, with whom Caine worked closely in his role in the Dark Knight trilogy. The audiobook was created entirely by artificial intelligence. “Our version of it is another retelling of it that we think is really strong,” ElevenLabs’ head of partnerships, Dustin Blank, said in an interview with Variety. Blank called Caine, who licensed his voice and likeness to the company last year, a “national treasure.” Caine consulted on the audiobook and received compensation for the use of his voice, in accordance with company policy. “By bridging classical storytelling with digital innovation, this timeless epic is reimagined for modern audiences,” Caine said. The company hopes to license a collection of voices for its “Iconic Marketplace,” allowing users to listen to audiobooks with characters voiced by these actors. “We’re going to set the bar high,” Blank said.

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