AI voice-over vs. the human voice

Which One Do You Prefer?

Big changes are afoot in the voice-over industry. With the rise of advanced AI technologies, we face an interesting choice: do we opt for the precision and efficiency of AI voice-overs, or does the human voice remain indispensable due to its unique emotional depth and nuance? Let’s take a closer look at both options.

What Are AI-Generated Voices?

AI-generated voices use text-to-speech (TTS) technology to convert written text into spoken words. This technology is based on complex algorithms and machine learning, enabling them to produce increasingly natural-sounding voices. Today, you can encounter AI voices in phone systems, audiobooks, and navigation systems.

Consumer reactions to the use of AI voices are mixed. In a study by Steve Keller, subjects had more positive associations when listening to a human voice. Just the suggestion that a voice was computer-generated led subjects to have more negative associations.

Advantages of AI Voice-Overs

There are certainly advantages to using AI-generated voices:

• Cost Savings: One major advantage of AI voice-overs is lower costs. Hiring a human voice actor can be expensive, especially for longer projects.
• Efficiency: AI can rapidly convert text to speech, significantly reducing production time. AI never gets sick and can work 24/7.
• Scalability: AI can easily be programmed to speak multiple languages and accents without extra costs or training time.

Limitations of AI Voice-Overs

• Lack of Emotion: While AI voices are getting better, they lack the emotional depth and subtleties that a human voice can convey. In the near future, they might reproduce those emotions, but it will never sound genuine.
• Authenticity: Many listeners can tell the difference between a real voice and a generated one, which can lead to a less authentic listening experience.
• Complexity of Texts: AI often struggles with conveying complex or emotionally charged texts where human interpretation is essential.

Human Voice-Overs

The power of a human voice lies in the subtle nuances and intonations that can bring a story to life. An experienced voice actor can play with intonation and melody to capture and hold the listener’s attention. This human touch can make the difference between a mere message and a compelling story.

Advantages of Human Voices

• Emotional Depth: A human voice actor can convey emotions in a natural and authentic way, which is essential for engaging the audience.
• Creative Interpretation: Human voice actors can interpret texts and add nuances, like a wink or sarcasm, which an AI voice-over finds much more difficult.
• Unique Voice Quality: Every voice actor has a unique sound and style, contributing to the recognizability and effectiveness of the message.

Limitations of Human Voices

• Availability: A voice actor has their own schedule. Availability of the recording studio, client stakeholders, and the voice actors themselves must always be considered. If the voice actor is traveling or sick, recording can’t take place.
• Unique Product: Every recorded script is handcrafted; it’s customized based on the client’s requirements. Changes afterward are difficult, costing extra time and sometimes money.
• Cost: Human work inherently costs money. Education, experience, and market value of the voice result in a price tag. For commercials, a buy-out must be paid for usage.

My Opinion as a 100% Human Voice-Over Artist

Before I continue, I want to be honest with you. My opinion is naturally biased. I am a professional voice actor and earn my living with my voice. So, I view AI developments with a certain amount of suspicion.

What a Human Voice Actor Can Add

A few weeks ago, I posted an article about voice acting for a virtual reality project. Instructions that, at first glance, could easily be recorded by an AI. But my client was looking for a unique sound and gave me the space to create it. In the end, she was so satisfied and inspired that I not only received more text, but I was also allowed to record the English version of the script.

A Human Doesn’t Just Read Aloud

At least, I don’t. Sometimes, I have to record extensive learning projects. Often, the text is translated sentence-by-sentence and put into an Excel sheet. Not very inspiring, and at first glance, this could be easily voiced by an AI. But when I delve deeper into the text, I discover small errors in the script or translation. An AI voice-over would just read this aloud, but I correct those mistakes.

The AI Voice-Over Lacks a Narrative Arc

During my holiday research, I dived into YouTube. I found a 45-minute documentary ‘narrated’ by an AI. And after a few minutes, it started to feel ‘off.’ When I narrate a TV program myself, I first analyze the text. Different parts of the text have different functions: building tension, providing objective commentary, a small joke, etc. Based on this, I determine my intonation, volume, and speed. This AI voice did none of that. It just rattled off the information, sentence by sentence. And although it sounded quite nice, it couldn’t grab and hold my attention.

AI Innovations: Speech-to-Speech Technology

In addition to text-to-speech, there is also speech-to-speech technology, where a human voice is used to read text, which is then converted into another voice by an AI filter. This allows a voice actor to take on multiple personas. However, the unique stamp of the original voice actor remains audible, such as the specific way of pronouncing certain letters or other characteristic traits. Therefore, the role of the human voice actor remains crucial because what you put in is what you get out. A flawless and expressive source is necessary to achieve a convincing end result.

Conclusion

While AI-generated voices are becoming increasingly sophisticated and offer certain advantages such as cost savings and efficiency, the human voice remains indispensable for projects that require emotion, nuance, and authenticity. The creative interpretation and unique voice qualities of a human voice actor cannot yet be matched by an AI voice-over.

Are you curious about what I, as a 100% human, Dutch voice-over actor, can do for your project? Contact me or fill out my intake form and launch your project today!