Is AI taking over the voiceover industry?
I’ve been working as a professional voiceover artist for 10 years and the past couple of years, fellow peers have been speculating and fretting about the threat of AI taking our jobs. AI has been taking over many industries for several years and the voiceover industry is the latest industry at threat.
AI is getting smarter by the second and companies are working out new ways in which they can teach AI to be more human. But the truth is, they will never sound like a real human.
How are AI voiceovers created?
I was approached by an AI Voice Generator company asking if I would like to sell the rights to my voice and have it stored on their database for people to buy. I could either agree to a lump sum (also known as a buyout), or a pay-as-you-go agreement (also known as royalties). All I would have to do is read a few scripts really slowly so that the AI could understand and interpret my inflections and tone, and that was it, an AI version of Rosie Akerman’s voice would be formed!
No one would need to ever pay for my human voice ever again because they could simply go to the AI Voice Generator website and pay a tiny fee to get my voice to read their script. Had I chosen the pay-as-you-go option agreement, then an even smaller amount of that already tiny fee would have made its way back into my bank account. The company sold it to me like this, “it may only be a small fee that you make per transaction, however, thousands of customers will be buying your voice all the time, so those small fees will add up and up and up and you will be making more money than you do now as a human voiceover artist”.
If only this was the case…
To AI or Not to AI?
There are several reasons why the above would not become a reality. Don’t get me wrong, if it were true, I would have signed myself up on the spot! Imagine getting paid more than I’m making now, to basically do nothing?! I record a few scripts, that perhaps take a day or two to record and then never work a day again in my life?! No way, surely there has to be a catch?? Well, there is…
AI will never be smart enough to provide that human touch. I’m not saying that an AI voice is going to sound like a typical robotic computer voice. AI voices definitely have human qualities to them, but there will always be something about it that juuust doesn’t sound quite right. And it is because of this, that I decided not to sell the rights to my voice to an AI Voice Generator company.
People who want a professional-sounding voiceover will always choose to pay for a human voice. If you’re someone who doesn’t mind having a “slightly off” sounding voice perform your script, then maybe AI could be for you. But please bear the following in mind…
Humans are versatile, they can take direction, they understand humour, and can improvise around your script if needs to be. We are emotional beings, therefore we understand emotion and can be emotive, which helps when creating character. A human can deliver different takes of a script, they’re never going to give you the same delivery twice.
Can AI deliver the same words but with slight variation? If delivering a list, a human will deliver each item in a way that doesn’t sound repetitive or monotone. Humans have nuances and subtleties to what they say which means they can personalise and tailor what they’re saying to suit the required audience. This means we are also capable of leaving a lasting impression on our audiences. Often it’s not the words that an audience is left with, it’s the way in which the words are said.
If I can’t beat them, can I join them?
AI will become a threat to our industry where people stop valuing quality. Some people don’t mind using a slightly “off” sounding voice for their voiceover if they can get it cheaply. So already there is a small proportion of voiceover work going to the robots. Unfortunately, the more voiceover artists that choose to collaborate with AI Voice Generator companies, the smarter the AI will get.
All freelancers will experience a “dry spell” at some point in their career, maybe even experience several dry spells. So if a voiceover artist is approached by one of these companies during a particularly dry spell, then what’s to stop them from agreeing to take on this kind of work, and in my opinion, signing their voice away for pittance?
We can’t beat the rate at which AI is improving, but we can adapt to it and collaborate. I would like to see these companies paying their voiceover contributors a fairer rate. Not just for the initial script work, but for ongoing royalties too.
In answer to the initial question “Is AI taking over the voiceover industry?”, the short answer is that it’s trying to. Still, it has a long way to go before it ever matches up to the true authenticity and personalisation that a human voice offers.
If you’re looking for a human and authentic voiceover for your project, look no further. As a voiceover artist, I can provide you with the perfect voice that will give your project life. So, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me because I’d be happy to help!
Rosie – 10/05/2024
