On Thursday, Spotify announced it would accept audiobooks narrated using ElevenLabs' AI Voice Technology. Given that ElevenLabs is currently one of the most recognized AI audio providers, this new partnership is expected to increase the amount of AI narrating audiobooks on the platform.
To upload an AI-narrated audiobook, authors must download the file package from ElevenLabs and then access FindAway Voices on Spotify's Audiobook Distribution Service. After that, recordings should be performed before the review process is published. The title of the Spotify label narrated by AI.
In 11 languages, audiobooks can be narrated in 11 languages. The free version only allows speeches from 10 minutes of text per month, while the Pro Plan, which costs $99 per month, generates up to 500 minutes of narration.
The latest partnership comes two years after Spotify collaborated with Google Play Books to provide an AI-narrated audiobook. Spotify plans to partner with more companies to expand its audiobook library.
However, the rise of AI-generated audiobooks is expected to spark considerable debate within the publishing community. Some industry experts argue that these AI recordings can undermine the overall quality of audiobooks aimed at listeners.