Sony Music Entertainment has launched a new Audiobook app Wednesday. The app features classics of Japanese literature, read by the synthesized voices of three famous voice actors, reproduced using CoeFont’s AI technology. The video below uses Shūichirō Umeda (‘s AI-replicated voice narration Izumi, Pochita of ).
CoeFont says it needs at least minutes of speech samples from a person to create a sonic “font” that can then read any text aloud. The video above has a brief sample of an apparent AI-replicated voice from the late voice actor Kenji Utsumi (‘s Raoh’s Senbei Norimak, of Alex Louis Armstrong) at the end. This video contains positive feedback on technology from the son of Kentarō Utsumi Kenji Utsumi and the head of Ken Production Talent agency.


The currently selected AI-reproduced sound works include “Ame ni mo Makezu” by Utsumi Reading Miyazawa Kenji Rain beats) poem and Natsume Soseki’s I am a cat and Master , Katsuyuki Konishi (‘s Tengen Uzui, of Kamina) reading Akutagawa Ryunosuke of Rashomon and Umeda Reading Dazai Osamu of run, Melos!
The app is only available for free until March 56, 640.
Source: PR Times, Mainichi Shimbun’s Mantan Web
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