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Writers And Voice Actors Respond To Audible’s New Plan To Use AI For Book Narrations 

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Audible recently announced that they will be using artificial intelligence (AI) to narrate audiobooks and translate works as well. Many writers, voice actors, and translators have responded to this new phase of audiobook listening, and aren’t happy with the decision to have technology take away jobs from hardworking individuals.

Audible, owned by Amazon, said that it will be using its AI production technology with certain publishers through “select partnerships,” according to reports. 

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“We are bringing new audiobooks to life through our own fully integrated, end-to-end AI production technology,” Audible published on their website.

Audible will be providing managed production where publishers have the choice to produce their own audiobooks with their AI technology.

Publishers can choose from over 100 AI-generated voices in English, Spanish, French, and Italian to narrate their books. The first audiobooks using this technology through Audible will likely be available later in the year. 

“Audible believes that AI represents a momentous opportunity to expand the availability of audiobooks with the vision of offering customers every book in every language, alongside our continued investments in premium original content,” said Bob Carrigan, the chief executive of Audible.

“We’ll be able to bring more stories to life – helping creators reach new audiences while ensuring listeners worldwide can access extraordinary books that might otherwise never reach their ears.”

Writers, translators, and voice actors have responded to this advancement with disappointment, stating that using AI to voice a book takes away the sincerity and beauty of storytelling. 

“This shortsighted scheme reduces what we love about storytelling to the simple delivery of code. In an age of declining literacy, I can’t think of anything more likely to put people off listening to audiobooks altogether,” said Chocolat author Joanne Harris. 

“[Human narrators] actively sell audio content by being good at their jobs,” said Kristen Atherton, who narrated over 400 audiobooks on Audible. 

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“The art – and it is an art – of a good audiobook is the crack in the voice at a moment of unexpected emotion, the wryness of good comedy timing, or the disbelief a listener feels when one person can convincingly be a whole cast of characters,” she said. 

“No matter how ‘human’ an AI voice sounds, it’s those little intricacies that turn a good book into an excellent one. AI can’t replicate that.”

Stephen Briggs, who voices audiobooks said: “The use of AI to replace human creativity is in itself a dangerous path. 

Actor and audiobook narrator Deepti Gupta said: “We need to create more, not less, space for Bipoc narrators, and these AI tools are a new way to marginalize and colonize the voices that need to be heard.”

“Time after time, generative AI has been shown to produce lowest-common-denominator results, while human translators, while fallible, use their personalities and the serendipity of the human mind to produce unique solutions to linguistic and literary problems, thereby creating art,” Nichola Smalley, who translates Swedish and Norwegian literature into English, said.

Literary translator Frank Wynne said: “No one pretends to use AI for translation, audiobooks, or even writing books because they are better; the only excuse is that they are cheaper. Which is only true if you ignore the vast processing power even the simplest AI request requires.”

“In the search for a cheap simulacra to an actual human, we are prepared to burn down the planet and call it progress,” he stated.

SAG AFTRA

Video Game Actors’ Union Calls For Strike Against ‘League Of Legends’ Sound Company 

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The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are calling for a strike against “League of Legends” due to the sound company Formosa Interactive’s attempt to get around the ongoing video game strike by hiring non-union actors to work on an unrelated video game title. 

According to the Associated Press, SAG-AFTRA said Formosa tried to cancel the unnamed video game shortly after the strike began. The union also stated when Formosa learned it could not cancel the game, the company “secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for ‘non-union’ talent only.” 

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SAG-AFTRA responded to this action by unanimously voting to file an unfair labor practice charge against the company along with the National Labor Relations Board to call for a strike against “League of Legends” as a part of the charge. 

“It’s bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair AI terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s national executive director. 

“To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won’t be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members.”

“League of Legends” is one of Formosa’s most-well known projects, as it provides voiceover services for the game. SAG-AFTRA is accusing Formosa of “interfering with protections that allow performers to form or join a union and prevent those performers from being discriminated against — a move the union called ‘egregious violations of core tenets of labor law,’” AP reported. 

“We believe the strike of ‘League of Legends,’ a game unrelated to the union’s claims, is not appropriate. We stand with developers, publishers, platform holders and talent to support global game development in a way that is safe and ethical for all,” said Paul Lipson, senior vice president of Formosa Group. 

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“This year’s record game industry layoffs, he added, lead to more companies outsourcing work to firms like Formosa, “which raises concerns about potential damage to reputations if these partners act unethically,” said Joost van Dreunen, author of “One Up: Creativity, Competition, and the Global Business of Video Games.”

“Even companies with strong reputations, like Riot Games—which is not at fault here—see their risks rise due to their partners’ actions. It forces publishers to ensure all their partners meet ethical standards to protect their brands,” he stated.

Riot Games, the developer of “League of Legends” stated that their company doesn’t have anything to do with SAG-AFTRA’s complaint. 

“We want to be clear: Since becoming a union project five years ago, ‘League of Legends’ has only asked Formosa to engage with union performers in the U.S. and has never once suggested doing otherwise. In addition, we’ve never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we’ve registered,” Riot said in a statement to AP. 

In response, Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh stated that: “League of Legends is a game of champions. Instead of championing the union performers who bring their immense talent and experience to beloved characters, decision-makers at Formosa have chosen to try to evade and abandon them. Such double-dealing is very disappointing from a longtime committed union signatory.”