Agatha Christie and other dead authors may soon narrate their own audiobooks

In the United Kingdom, book publishers are exploring the use of artificial intelligence to enable deceased authors to narrate their own audiobooks. This technological advancement could allow iconic figures like Agatha Christie, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Winston Churchill to lend their voices to new audiobook editions. The industry is collaborating with the literary estates of these authors, utilizing archive audio tapes from interviews and public speeches to create voice samples. The initiative, revealed at The Bookseller magazine’s FutureBook conference, emphasizes the importance of acquiring consent from authors' representatives before proceeding with this innovative concept. Jon Watt, chairman of the Audio Publishers Group, highlights the potential for AI to replicate these voices authentically through licensed samples. Agatha Christie, who passed away in 1976, has an interesting repository of audio recordings that can be leveraged for this AI application. HarperCollins, the publisher of her works, is particularly interested in utilizing AI technology to produce an audio version of her famous characters, such as Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. These audio recordings, totaling about thirteen hours, consist of dictations and interviews providing a resource for training AI algorithms on her vocal patterns and nuances. Similarly, the literary estate of J.R.R. Tolkien is in discussions to incorporate AI in narrating his timeless creations, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Tapes from a 1965 BBC radio interview where Tolkien discussed his works are particularly useful in sampling his voice. On the other hand, Winston Churchill, a distinguished statesman and Nobel Prize winner, has wartime recordings that could be utilized to bring his extensive literary contributions to life through his own voice. This innovative approach, while commendable, raises ethical considerations about the representation of a deceased person's voice and character. Amanda D'Acierno, global president of the audio division at Penguin Random House, acknowledges the necessity of experimentation with AI in publishing while arguing that the support of the authors’ estates is paramount. Furthermore, the precedent of recreating the voice of the late chat-show host Sir Michael Parkinson for a new podcast series indicates a significant trend towards the use of AI in voice reproduction in entertainment and literature, highlighting both possibilities and challenges in the industry.