ElevenLabs, a company known for creating realistic deepfakes, has announced that its Voice cloning feature now supports 22 additional languages. The Multilingual v2 model promises to produce “emotionally rich” audio in a total of 30 languages. Users can input fragments of their own or others’ speech into the model to clone voices through the “VoiceLab” tool. With the new update, these generated voices can now speak in languages such as Ukrainian, Korean, Swedish, and Arabic.

To address past controversies and misuse of the platform, ElevenLabs has implemented measures to ensure that users can only clone their own voices. Users are required to verify their speech with a text captcha prompt, which is then compared to the original voice sample. This additional step aims to prevent malicious use of the technology.

The company also plans to expand its language capabilities further, aiming to eliminate linguistic barriers to content. In addition to language support, ElevenLabs is focusing on making its AI Voice Cloning technology available to media companies. It recently received $19 million in seed funding and has partnered with Paradox Interactive, a gaming publisher, to utilize voice cloning in video games.

While AI-narrated audiobooks have been experimented with by companies like Google and Apple, the quality of AI voices has been a point of contention. However, ElevenLabs claims that its AI voices can save publishing companies time and money in creating audiobooks. Lukeman Literary, a literary agency and indie publishing company, has worked with ElevenLabs and praised the technology’s ability to streamline audiobook production.

While the rise of AI narration may pose a challenge to voice actors, some authors and publishers may still prefer audiobooks voiced by humans. The impact of AI on the entertainment industry, especially in the audiobook space, is still being debated, particularly in light of ongoing strikes by voice actors. The future of AI in narration remains uncertain, but ElevenLabs continues to push the boundaries of voice cloning technology.

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