How To Use AI As a Voice Actor
Is it possible for voice actors to use AI tools for good? Here are 5 ways they can.
With recent advancements in AI technology, voice actors can now use AI tools to improve their productivity, generate passive income, and streamline the job application process. Read on for more.
Although voice acting is a creative and rewarding profession, it can also get quite tedious. From huge workloads to narration fatigue to physical symptoms like a sore throat, voice acting isn't always as fun as it seems.
But is that all about to change with the invention of AI voiceover tools?
Well, maybe not. Voice cloning may have great benefits to voice actors, helping alleviate the pressure, offering new ways that voice actors can increase output, generating new ways to earn money.
In this article, we'll be diving into how you can lean on AI tools to support you through your voice acting career, streamline your work, and even help generate a passive income. If that sounds interesting, continue reading to discover more.
Will AI Make Voice Acting Redundant?
Before we dive in, let's address the elephant in the room. Will AI voice cloning and generation tools make voice acting redundant as a profession?
As AI continues to develop at a rapid speed, many have raised concerns regarding artificial intelligence potentially replacing human voice actors, writers, artists, and other human talent. However, this is not entirely the case.
Although AI has undergone significant advancements over the past few years, this doesn't mean human supervision and contribution have faded into obscurity. Similar to how writers and journalists can rely on tools like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini for research purposes, paraphrasing, and discovering new phrases or synonyms, voice actors can also use artificial intelligence as a helpful tool.
AI is not a substitute for a human touch but merely a tool. By working alongside AI instead of competing with it, voice actors will discover new possibilities for increased productivity, daily assistance, and even passive income generation.
5 Simple Ways Voice Actors Can Use AI
So, let's get into it. How can voice actors use AI in their day-to-day to harness its benefits?
1. Increasing Productivity
Voice acting can be a demanding profession, especially when you have multiple projects to complete simultaneously. Whether you're recording a voiceover for an animated series, providing a human voice for video game characters, narrating explainer videos, or recording a series of commercials, your workload can often surpass the number of hours available in a day.
This is where AI tools like voice cloning technology come in handy. As long as you and your employer are comfortable with voice cloning solutions, you can use text-to-speech software to create synthetic copies of your voice that are indistinguishable from the real thing.
All you have to do is upload your voice to an AI voice generator library, generate a copy, and voila! You can now use your own voice to narrate segments or projects you don't have time for.
2. Preventing Physical Burnout
Voice acting may be a fun and dynamic profession, but it often comes with a price. Whether you're suffering from a good old sore throat or something more long-term (e.g., voice loss due to overstrain), AI voice cloning technology allows you to continue working even when you're physically incapable.
Given that AI voice technology has witnessed significant advancements over the last couple of years, synthetic voices cloned from human speech are barely distinguishable from the real deal. With comprehensive voice generation like ElevenLabs gaining more traction, it's now easier to create a copy of your own voice if you feel under the weather.
3. Passive Income Generation
Did you know that you can continue to generate passive income away from the microphone as a professional voice actor? Although this opportunity may sound too good to be true, it's certainly not. In fact, many voice actors have given permission for their voices to be cloned and used across various projects—from video game character voiceovers to audiobook narration.
The process is quite simple. All you need to do is sign up for a voice generation/text-to-speech platform, upload an audio sample to the library, and set a rate. Once your voice is available to other users on the platform, you will receive a payout whenever someone uses your voice for their project.
Moreover, secure and reliable platforms like ElevenLabs offer additional protection against potential misuse or malicious intent by providing live moderation (which controls what categories of content your voice can be used for.)
4. Translation Purposes
It's no secret that voice acting is a competitive field. Most professional voice actors have chosen this career path due to their natural talent, skills, and work ethic. When it comes to providing voiceovers for beloved characters, some voice actors cannot be replaced. From pitch and tone to inflections and emotions, certain voice actors don't simply narrate - they embody the characters from within.
However, the playing field becomes slightly trickier when the content is translated into multiple languages, and local voice actors are hired to replace the original voiceover. True fans of a specific show, series, or video game find themselves disappointed to encounter voiceovers that sound nothing like the original character and don't suit them.
Thankfully, AI voice generators allow for accurate translation without changing the initial human speech patterns. Instead of hiring other human voice actors to read a script in their native language, the original voiceover can be translated while maintaining all the charisma of the initial voiceover.
The outcome? Everyone is happy. Voice actors gain well-deserved recognition abroad, fans of the content are not disappointed, and showrunners don't have to address angry tweets regarding "unfortunate voice overs."
5. Assistance with Daily Tasks
Aside from AI voices, AI tools can benefit many professions, and voice acting is no exception. Whether you're seeking new projects and want to write a great outreach email or edit a script that doesn't resonate with you, AI tools like ChatGPT or Grammarly can be complete game changers.
From idea generation to spellchecking to outreach emails, professional voice actors can also benefit from the various AI tools available on the web. Additionally, a well-written outreach message is more likely to lead to further communication, especially compared to a sloppier, poorly structured one.
Passive Payouts via the ElevenLabs Voice Library
Human voice actors are no longer limited to their working hours for monetary compensation. With text-to-speech and voice generation platforms reaching highly advanced levels, AI tools can quickly generate synthetic voices that sound just like a real human voice.
Calling all Voice Actors.
— ElevenLabs (@elevenlabsio) February 12, 2024
Now you can share your voice in the ElevenLabs Voice Library and earn when it's used.
With as little as 30 minutes of audio, you can create a voice that’s ready to be used in projects around the world. pic.twitter.com/AHalpoMeyF
This is excellent for voice actors who want to earn extra cash on the side while dedicating most of their time to their projects. At ElevenLabs, we are dedicated to securing the protection and legal rights of all our Voice Lab contributors, making our Payout system a safe way to increase your income without increasing your workload.
So, how do you get started?
Create an ElevenLabs account or sign up via Google, and you'll be redirected to our app. After that, provide at least 30 minutes of clear audio content and upload it to our Voice Lab. Once you've shared your audio, choose cash rewards or character credits, and earn money whenever your voice is used.
Final Thoughts
All things considered, artificial intelligence can lend a helping hand to human voice actors in various ways.
By embracing the capabilities of present-day AI, you can streamline your workflow, avoid burnout, generate passive income, translate your voiceovers into multiple languages, and rely on writing tools like ChatGPT or Grammarly to leave an excellent first impression on future employers or business partners.
AI is still a new technology, and no one can be certain what the future of these tools will look like. However, it is exciting to see how AI can streamline our everyday tasks, increase our potential, and open new opportunities for us to take advantage of.
FAQs
What is the best AI voice generator?
Although many AI voice generator tools are available on the market, ElevenLabs is considered an industry leader in quality, service availability, and reputation.
How does AI accurately replicate human voices?
AI can accurately replicate human voices by analyzing a voice recording and picking up on unique details like speech patterns, tone, pitch, and emotions to create a synthetic copy that is essentially indistinguishable from the real deal.
How can voice actors use AI?
As a voice actor, you can use AI in several ways.
- Cloning your voice to cover a larger workload.
- To prevent burnout and assist you when you're feeling unwell.
- Make your voice publicly available for cloning and receive payouts whenever someone chooses your voice to use in their project.
- For translation purposes.
- To improve your professional communication.
Is voice cloning technology unethical?
AI voice cloning is not an unethical concept. Still, it's important to be careful and consider the various ethical dilemmas that can arise without appropriate consent or when cloning is used for malicious intent.
Will AI replace human voice actors?
It's unlikely that artificial intelligence will replace human voice actors in the near future. Although realistic AI voices are gaining popularity, most companies will continue hiring voice actors if they can afford it since authentic human involvement is still valued, and humans respond better to human-generated content. AI can be a beneficial tool for voice-acting purposes, but only when used correctly and ethically.