What comes to mind when you think of AI voices? Siri giving you today’s weather update, or Skynet with its infamous ‘I am everywhere’ speech? In fact, pop culture and movie franchises like the Terminator franchise and I, Robot have led us to believe that AI will eventually take over the world. Now, in 2023 … will it?
What’s more, Artificial intelligence (AI) voices have become something of a juggernaut in the voice over industry with a key role in evolving business trends. Now, if you’re interested in an AI voice for your next audio project – here’s everything you need to know about AI voices and how they affect the voice over industry. That includes all your company’s commercials, explainers, promos, and other marketing content. If your projects need a voice – is it going to be an AI one?
Watch our tutorial: What are AI voices
What are AI voices
AI voices are synthetic voices that mimic human speech through a process called deep learning, where artificial intelligence is used to convert text into speech. Often referred to as TTS or Text-To-Speech. For example, AI technology cloned the voice of James Earl Jones and now voices the Darth Vader character.
Although the end result might sound slightly emotionless and a tad robotic, with daily advancements and enhancements, it could potentially be something worth considering – when done correctly. Now, let’s see how this revolutionization continues within the voice over industry.
How it helps the voice over industry
There are three main advantages to having AI voices in the voice over industry, namely:
- Flexibility
- Cost-efficiency
- Inclusivity
Flexibility: With AI voices, you can customize the tone, style, and language of the voice over. So, once you’ve created the character, all you have to do is record the voice over. And your first take will also be your final take.
Cost-efficiency: An AI voice is generated almost instantly and is easier to edit than a human voice. You can make changes easily in a few hours or even minutes. This reduces pre-and post-production costs and saves time.
Inclusivity: AI voices make it possible to quickly record the same project in multiple languages or dialects. AI voice overs can also overcome accessibility issues by making your content available to those with speech or hearing impairments. For brands, this means a wider and more global reach which can turn you into a sought-after market leader.
Next, let’s dig a little deeper into specific types of AI voices to understand the real scope of this technology and its benefits in the voice over industry.
Types of AI voices
The 3 types of AI voices commonly used in the voice over industry are:
- Sonic branding
- Personable engagement
- Multilingual customer interactions
Here are a few examples of how you can use these types of AI voices in your voice over projects.
What are AI voices for sonic branding?
In recent years, more businesses have started to invest time and effort in sonic branding. But what is sonic branding? Sonic branding is a marketing strategy that utilizes sound or voices to create brand recognition. Think Mcdonalds’ famous: da da da duh, I’m loving it.
In this scenario, AI voice overs are a vital tool to perfect your sonic branding strategy. The flexibility and efficiency mean you can easily create something unique in the market. Leicester University conducted a study to show that companies with sonic branding are 96% more likely to be remembered by customers.
What are AI voices for personable engagement?
A frequent complaint is that companies are too impersonal and cold in their business dealings, making customers feel like they aren’t valued enough. What’s more, personalization is crucial if you’re looking to create a business that thrives long-term. But how can you accomplish this without investing millions in manpower?
The answer is simple. Use an AI voice.
Using an AI voice is quick and requires minimal effort on your side, so creating a solid bond with your target audience is an achievable goal. Whether it’s for ad campaign videos or customer support IVRs, an AI voice will add just the right touch of automated help
What are AI voices for multilingual customer interactions?
If your company is expanding to cater to global customers, allowing them to interact with your business in their native language can help you stand out from the rest of your competitors. But since you can’t create customer support teams in multiple languages, what can you do?
Once again, AI voices can be your saving grace. You can pre-set automated response messages in a host of languages as IVRs, which will take care of most customer problems. You can also use an AI voice to extend multilingual support to your website by preparing audio blogs or product voice overs in any language you choose. And this further boosts engagement from a global market.
Final thoughts
There’s nothing like the sound of a human voice! But synthetic voices are here – and they’re not going anywhere. So is the question, should I use an AI voice, or how can I best use an AI voice? Because although AI voice overs aren’t on the same level as human voice actors, they are still a tool that can help you to better brand and market your company to a wider audience. Sonic branding, personal engagement, and multilingual customer interactions are just a few ways in which you can best use an AI voice in your projects.
And on that note, we’d like to wish you well in the world of AI voices.
Interested in using an AI voice for your next audio project? Get in touch with our Managed Services team to get free project advice.
FAQs
AI voices are synthetic voices constructed from machine learning technology that converts text into speech that mimics human sounds.
Yes, some AI voices are based on real voice actors, which preserves human likeness and creates natural-sounding speech.
An AI voice generator is text-to-speech technology that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to read the text in a human voice.
At Voice123, we offer TTS services to provide AI voice overs for a variety of projects, so if you have a specific AI need, then get in touch with our Managed Services team.
