A US Congresswoman lost her voice due to illness, now AI has given her back
Facing voice loss due to Parkinson’s disease, such as Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), U.S. Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) relied on mainstream robotic text-to-speech tools. Thanks to AI-powered voice cloning from ElevenLabs, she can now deliver speeches in her original voice, despite the impact of PSP on her vocal abilities.
After Wexton used the robotic speech on the House floor, ElevenLab reached out to Wexton’s staff. With Wexton’s approval, her team provided ElevenLabs with more than an hour of audio clips from before her diagnosis. In just a few days, ElevenLabs successfully created a digital version of Wexton’s voice, capturing the cadence, tone and timbre that once characterized her speech, the congresswoman and her team said. The new voice model was first demonstrated when Wexton addressed the House Appropriations Committee, producing a remarkably natural sound compared to her previous computer-generated voice.
“Since I first began using an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device for speeches in the House and on committees, I have received an outpouring of support from disability rights advocates about the importance of demonstrating that just because people like me may not be able to use our voices in the same way, it does not mean our words are any less ours or any less important to hear,” Wexton said in a statement.
“You don’t understand how important accessibility is until you’re the one relying on a walker or an AAC device, as I’ve learned over the past year. I hope this new step of adopting an AI speech model can also be a moment to start a conversation about new and creative ways we can continue to support people who face the same health and accessibility challenges I do, and show that our abilities don’t define who we are.”
Your ears aren’t deceiving you: AI has allowed me to re-model my voice as it was before my PSP. I hope this helps to showcase creative ways we can help people facing the same health and accessibility challenges I do, and show that our abilities don’t define us. pic.twitter.com/ztXDjCgi63July 10, 2024
Accessible speech
In her talk, Wexton pointed out that an AI-generated voice not only represents a personal victory, but also highlights the transformative potential of AI in helping people with speech disorders. By restoring a more natural-sounding voice, the technology enhances Wexton’s ability to communicate more authentically with her colleagues and the public.
ElevenLabs has quickly made a name for itself in the AI speech industry. The company’s technology uses advanced algorithms to not only replicate a person’s voice, but also modulate the tone and intonation, creating a more lifelike and natural sound. AI can even restore the voices of people who have since passed away. The company recently unveiled AI versions of the voices of James Dean, Burt Reynolds, Judy Garland, and Sir Laurence Olivier for its Reader app.
The successful implementation of AI-generated voices underscores a broader trend of integrating AI into assistive technologies. These developments not only improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, but also open up new possibilities for inclusion and participation in various spheres of life. By enabling more natural communication, AI technologies can help bridge the gap between ability and disability.
