Melania Trump announced on Friday that she is releasing an AI audiobook version of her memoir, Melania.
In an X post, the first lady welcomed followers into "a new era in publishing" and announced that an audiobook featuring an AI-generated version of her voice will be released in the ElevenReader app.
"I am honored to bring you Melania — The AI Audiobook — narrated entirely using artificial intelligence in my own voice. Let the future of publishing begin."
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The First Lady's book, Melania, was published in October 2024, and it's part memoir, part coffee table book. The Melania AI audiobook was released on May 22 through the ElevenReader app, a text-to-voice AI app that also lets authors create audiobooks from their work. Variety reports that the AI audiobook will soon be available in additional languages, from Spanish to Hindi.
“Writing this memoir has been a deeply personal and reflective journey for me," Trump says in a trailer for the book. "As a private person who has often been the subject of public scrutiny and misrepresentation, I feel a responsibility to clarify the facts. I believe it is important to share my perspective, the truth.”
AI is set to transform the audiobook industry
Audiobooks featuring AI-generated voices are a hot topic in the publishing world. On May 13, Amazon announced that it was working with publishers and authors to expand Audible's catalog of AI-narrated audiobooks. In a blog post, the company said it was "committed to working closely with authors, narrators, and publishers to ensure these technologies meet their creative and business needs while maintaining the quality standards our listeners expect."
Using artificial intelligence tools, it's now possible to recreate someone's voice, and in virtually every language. So, rather than Trump going into a recording studio and reading her book line by line, AI tools can generate an entire audiobook recording based on samples of her voice. When done correctly, it's nearly impossible to tell the difference between the real voice and the AI version. Thus, companies can save significant amounts of time and money, and not just for audiobooks. Just this week, The New York Times reported that AI is already being used to reduce the costs of producing animation by up to 90 percent.
Many artists — including actors and voice actors — see the use of artificial intelligence as a direct threat to their livelihoods. When the video game Fortnite recently introduced a Darth Vader character with an AI-generated voice based on actor James Earl Jones, the SAG-AFTRA union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board. Mashable has also reported on the backlash to the use of artificial intelligence to recreate the likeness of Agatha Christie and to generate material for movies like The Brutalist and Late Night With the Devil.
ElevenLabs, the company that makes the ElevenReader app, recently received a $3.3 billion valuation. Variety also reports that the ElevenReader app features audiobooks with the voices of deceased celebrities, including Judy Garland and Jerry Garcia. These types of AI resurrection projects are becoming more common and more controversial.
You can order the new AI audiobook at the First Lady's website.
