Audacy is partnering with a voice AI research and deployment company to augment its existing programming and production workflows, the audio content creation and distribution company emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection announced on Friday.
The partnership with synthetic voice company ElevenLabs creates a library of AI-fueled opportunities giving Audacy the ability to “deliver custom experiences for listeners and advertising clients.”
While detractors may scoff at the initiative as giving Audacy an opportunity to replace human voice talent with GenAI-powered personalities, the company says the pact with ElevanLabs gives it the power to “infuse creator-led ideas and concepts with ElevenLabs’ technology to further bolster its programmers’ and talents’ unique ability to engage deeply with audiences at scale.”
Audacy EVP and Head of Programming Jeff Sottolano commented, “By experimenting with ElevenLabs’ synthetic voice capabilities, we’re transforming how we connect with our listeners and create value for our advertising partners. By streamlining workflows, this collaboration will empower creators with more bandwidth to focus on the exceptional content and listening experiences our audiences love and expect from Audacy.”
ElevenLabs VP of Revenue Carles Reina added, “Through our work with Audacy, we’re bringing new voices to life, making radio more diverse and accessible for everyone. This technology also means we can produce more creator-led content faster, keeping up with the speed of today’s world.”
ElevenLabs positions itself as a voice AI research and deployment company “with a mission to make content universally accessible in any language and voice.” ElevenLabs adds that its technology “creates the most realistic, versatile, and contextually aware AI audio, providing the ability to generate speech in hundreds of new and existing voices in 29 languages.”
