The idea of AI being used to bring the dead back to life has only been a metaphor up until now. Late Grateful Dead singer/guitarist/songwriter Jerry Garcia’s voice has been replicated with the use of artificial intelligence for the purpose of lending it to audiobooks and other projects.
NME reports that Garcia’s estate has partnered with AI voice company ElevenLabs to recreate Garcia’s voice, which will be used to read audiobooks, e-books, articles, poetry, fan stories, PDFs, and more. Garcia’s voice will also be used on future projects in association with the Jerry Garcia Foundation. Additionally, the vocal recreation will be applied to 32 different languages.
In a statement to Billboard, an ElevenLabs spokesperson stated that the company worked “in close collaboration with the Jerry Garcia Estate to ensure that the reproduction of Garcia’s voice was as authentic and true to his legacy as possible.”
Dustin Blank, Head of Partnerships at ElevenLabs, added: “At ElevenLabs, we’re committed to preserving and celebrating cultural legacies while pushing the boundaries of technology. By bringing voices like Jerry Garcia to our platform, we’re not just enhancing our app – we’re creating new ways for people to experience content. This project has been a labour of love, and we couldn’t be happier with how Jerry’s voice has been recreated. It’s a beautiful thing to bring his sound to life again for both longtime fans and a new generation of listeners.”
Speaking out on behalf of the Garcia family, Garcia’s daughter Keelin told Stereogum, “My father was a pioneering artist, who embraced innovative audio and visual technologies.” She continued, “In the 1990’s, my dad introduced me to the computer, digital art, and video games. When we travelled on concert tour, we played on Game Boy. At home, we’d have fun playing on the Macintosh in the studio where my father created his first digital art, and housed his MIDI guitar.”
Keelin went on to say, “Now, as technological landscapes continue to expand, ElevenLabs AI Audio technology will offer fans the first opportunity to hear and stream a replica of my father’s voice reading their favourite books and other written content.”
Notably, Garcia is not the first celebrity to have their voice recreated by ElevenLabs. The company has also done voice recreations of iconic stars such as Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds, and Sir Laurence Olivier.
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The post An AI-Generated Jerry Garcia Can Now Read You to Sleep, Grateful Dead Fans appeared first on VICE.
