Every day there are more and more people complaining about the activities of AI, because it is entering many fields of activity with astonishing speed.
Indeed, artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the world, and the audiobook industry is no exception. AI-powered text-to-speech (TTS) technology is becoming more sophisticated and it is now possible to create high-quality AI-narrated audiobooks. This is having a significant impact on the audiobook industry, and is already starting to drive business away from human storytellers.
There are a number of reasons why AI-powered TTS is becoming so popular. First, it's much cheaper than hiring a human storyteller. Second, it's much faster. AI can narrate an audiobook in a fraction of the time it takes a human narrator. Third, the AI is more consistent. Human storytellers can make mistakes, but the AI works smoothly, and it just keeps getting better.
As a result of these advantages, AI-powered TTS is becoming increasingly popular among publishers and distributors. They are using it to create audiobooks for a wide range of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, and children's books. This is having a significant impact on the audiobook industry, and is already starting to drive business away from human storytellers.
There are a number of human storytellers who are concerned about the impact of AI on their jobs. They argue that AI is taking away their livelihood and call for action to protect their jobs. Some storytellers have even gone so far as to say they will boycott publishers who use AI-powered TTS.
It's still too early to say what the long-term impact of AI will be on the audiobook industry. However, it is clear that AI is already having a significant impact and is likely to continue to do so for years to come.
Here are some of the benefits of using AI-powered TTS:
Profitability: AI-powered TTS is much cheaper than hiring a human storyteller. This is because AI does not need to be paid for, and does not need to take breaks or vacations.
Speed: AI-powered TTS can narrate an audiobook in a fraction of the time it takes a human narrator. This is because AI can read much faster than humans.
Consistency: AI-powered TTS is always consistent. Human storytellers can make mistakes, but the AI is always just as consistent.
Here are some of the drawbacks of using AI-powered TTS:
Lack of emotion: AI-powered TTS does not have the same emotional range as a human storyteller. This can make the audiobook sound flat and/or boring.
Lack of Personality: AI-powered TTS does not have the same personality as a human storyteller. This can make the audiobook sound impersonal.
Bias potential: AI-powered TTS is trained on a massive dataset of text. This data set may contain biases, which may be reflected in the audiobook.
Overall, AI-powered TTS is a powerful tool that can be used to create high-quality audiobooks. However, it is important to be aware of its limitations. Human narrators still have a role to play in the audiobook industry, and they will likely remain in demand for many years to come.
I've seen some tips for human storytellers who are concerned about the impact of AI on their jobs, which might somehow apply to other professions with similar risks:
Focus on your strengths: What makes you a good storyteller? Are you good at reading with expression? Are you good at creating different voices for different characters? Focus on your strengths and use them to your advantage.
Get creative – there are still ways to stand out from the competition. You can create your own series of audiobooks, or you can narrate books that aren't available in audio format.
Extend your network of contacts: Meet other storytellers and editors. This will help you stay up to date on the latest trends in the audiobook industry.
Stay positive: The audiobook industry is changing, but there's still a place for human storytellers. Be positive and keep working and you may very well succeed.
But we must not be naive and we have to recognize that AI is there, it will not disappear, it will continue to improve, and it will continue to affect us.
EN 
ES