The End of Human Narration? Movie Legends License Voices to AI Company

As Hollywood artists grapple with the impact of artificial intelligence, veteran stars Michael Caine and Matthew McConaughey have taken a different approach. They have given their voices to New York-based voice-cloning company ElevenLabs to artificially replicate them.

The company is known for dubbing films, audiobooks and video games in many languages, but this is the first time it has taken a major step in directly licensing celebrity voices.

ElevenLabs’ Controversial Rise to Fame

Caine, 92, said the technology is not intended to take over people; rather, it is to expand their creativity. On the other hand, “Dallas Buyers Club” actor McConaughey has not only licensed his voice, but also invested in ElevenLabs.

The deal will allow him to publish an audio version of his newsletter Lyrics of Livin’ in Spanish, even though he does not speak the language himself.

ElevenLabs quickly became a hot topic in voice synthesis technology after its founding in 2022. However, there were also allegations of misuse of the technology. In 2023, the company introduced various security measures as deepfake content increased.

In 2024, the controversy intensified when Joe Biden’s voice was used to send fake robocalls, which led to them adopting a policy of stopping the cloning of any celebrity’s voice without permission.

‘Iconic Voice Marketplace’ With Celebrity Voices

ElevenLabs has announced its new platform, Iconic Voice Marketplace, where users can create content using the voices of famous people, subject to approval. The list includes 28 living and deceased stars, including Judy Garland, John Wayne, Maya Angelou, Babe Ruth, Thomas Edison.

Michael Caine’s voice will also be available from here. However, McConaughey’s voice is not on this marketplace—his contract is separate.

Netizen’s Reactions

The incident has seen mixed reactions online. Some believe that in the age of AI technology, it is possible for voices or images to be copied, so it is better to do so on an approved platform.

‘Others complain that computer-generated voices lack the emotion or effort of a human, so they value human actors’ performances more than fake voices.

Another group of users joked that Caine’s voice might always be heard as the narrator in Christopher Nolan’s films from now on.

The Ethical Challenges of AI-Powered Creativity

While many Hollywood artists are uncertain about their professional futures due to AI, Caine and McConaughey believe that using technology in a controlled and approved way can open up new avenues for storytelling. Despite recent lawsuits over voice actor rights, ElevenLabs insists that its platform places the highest priority on the artists’ full consent.

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