Report: “Death of the Narrator? Apple Unveils Suite of AI-Voiced Audiobooks”

From The Guardian:

Apple has quietly launched a catalogue of books narrated by artificial intelligence in a move that may mark the beginning of the end for human narrators. The strategy marks an attempt to upend the lucrative and fast-growing audiobook market – but it also promises to intensify scrutiny over allegations of Apple’s anti-competitive behaviour.

[Clip]

On the company’s Books app, searching for “AI narration” reveals the catalogue of works included in the scheme, which are described as being “narrated by digital voice based on a human narrator”.

In recent months, Apple approached independent publishers as potential partners, including some in the Canadian market, but not all agreed to participate.

Authors were told that Apple – which at the time was not named as the company behind the technology – would shoulder the costs of production and writers would receive royalties from sales.

Publishers involved in the project were required to sign non-disclosure agreements – common in the technology field – but also reflective of Apple’s notorious pursuit of secrecy.

Learn More, Read the Complete Article (about 820 words)

Filed under: Companies (Publishers/Vendors), News