AI voices, also known as synthetic voices, are computer-generated voices that can produce human-like speech. They are often used for digital assistants such as Siri and Alexa, but have also gained popularity in recent years as voice actors for image films.
A distinction is made between “text to speech” AI voices and “cloned voices,” where the latter only change the voice of what is being spoken.
One of the main reasons for using AI voices as voiceovers is speed and efficiency. Unlike human speakers, “text to speech” does not require recording, and there is no need to book a speaker or arrange flights or accommodations. Instead, the text can simply be entered into the AI software and the voice is generated almost instantly. This saves time and money, and allows companies to quickly respond to changes in their marketing strategies.
Another advantage of AI voices is the ability to customize them to the specific needs of a project. It is possible to set the voice to reflect certain emotions or accents to create the desired mood. The volume and speed of the voice can also be adjusted to ensure that it fits well with the content of the film. Unfortunately, this is often very laborious and time-consuming, which quickly turns the supposed efficiency advantage into the opposite.
There are other drawbacks to using AI voices. One of the biggest drawbacks is that they don’t sound as authentic as human voices. Although they can generate human-like speech, “text to speech” generated voices in particular often lack the natural emphasis and intonation expected from a human speaker. This can make a movie or message seem less believable or compelling.
Another problem is that AI voices still have difficulty understanding and reproducing more complex or divergent speech. They are particularly poor at processing new or unfamiliar words and phrases, which means that text may need to be adjusted to ensure that all words included in the text are pronounced correctly. Especially with proper names, this is often not so easy.
At Audiobird, we recommend using real human voices for image films and other voiceover applications. The following article is certainly interesting in this regard.
https://audiobird.com/en/blog-en/artificial-intelligence-and-the-creativity-of-human-speech
Create your voiceover project with the Audiobird configurator: https://audiobird.com/en/voice-file-configurator?type=voice
