Amazon's audiobook service Audible announced Tuesday it is partnering with some publishers to convert print and e-books into AI Narrasing audiobooks. The initiative aims to rapidly expand the catalogue as it competes with Apple, Spotify and others in the rapidly growing audiobook market.
Audible uses Amazon's AI capabilities to help publishers create audiobooks. Publishers can choose multiple accents and dialect options from over 100 AI-generated voices available in English, French, Spanish and Italian. The company plans to expand these options over time.
Additionally, Audible plans, which will roll out a beta version of AI translation later this year, will offer both text-to-text translation services and speech-to-tic translation services. It supports translations from English to Spanish, French, Italian and German. Publishers also have the option to accurately review these translations, with the help of “professional linguists.”
In 2023, Amazon introduced an invitation-only beta virtual audio tool for self-published US authors, allowing e-books to be converted to audiobooks using Syntetic Speech Tech. Last year, Audible invited a cohort of audiobook narrators to train AI voice-in-chief.
A search for “virtual voice” on Audible revealed over 50,000 titles labeled “Nartated by: Virtual Voice.” This shows that the technology is popular among authors who do not have the resources to create their own audiobooks.
Despite its extensive adoption, the introduction of AI-generated narration has prompted discussion among the publishing community and listeners. Critics have expressed concern that these AI recordings could undermine the overall quality of the audiobook.
Spotify, the second largest audiobook provider after Audible, has also recently made efforts to expand its audiobook library using AI narration tools. The platform partnered with AI audio provider ElevenLabs in February.