Artificial intelligence (AI) has led to an increase in the unauthorized replication of the voices of celebrities and public figures. For example, in May 2024 OpenAI reportedly used an unauthorized replica of Scarlett Johansson’s voice in a new ChatGPT release. One result of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike was an agreement that TV and film producers would be required to obtain consent and compensate performers for use of their likenesses in a digital replica.

AI startup ElevenLabs provides an example of a different business model for such uses. On July 1, the startup announced the launch of the Reader app, which adds replicas of actors’ voices to its library of AI-generated voices. While OpenAI and other companies have already released AI voices, permission to use the voices in the Reader app has been secured from the estates of the deceased actors. ElevenLabs has announced partnerships with the estates of Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds and Sir Laurence Olivier to include the voices of those actors in the Reader voice library. The app allows users to choose a voice from a curated library, upload text content and listen to that content in their chosen voice. For example, users may listen to Sir Laurence Olivier’s soothing narrations of articles, PDFs, electronic publications, newsletters or any other uploaded text content.

According to Dustin Blank, head of partnerships at ElevenLabs, the company “deeply” respects the actors’ legacies. Liza Minelli – Judy Garland’s daughter and representative of her estate – was quoted in the ElevenLabs blogpost, stating that the family is excited to “see our mother’s voice available to the countless millions of people who love her.” Tina Xavie, the Chief Marketing Officer of CMG Worldwide, the management firm for these estates, praised ElevenLabs’s “thoughtful approach in working with talent in the right way.”

Previous ElevenLabs applications allowed users to create voice models from recorded audio, convert text to speech in 29 languages, transform speech, create special effect sounds and isolate voices in audio recordings. One user created a false President Joe Biden robocall urging New Hampshire voters not to vote in the state’s January 2024 primary.

The latter example underscores that, despite the business model of obtaining estate permission for commercial applications, AI will likely continue to pose issues for celebrities and public figures.