AI Is Bringing the Voice of the Dead Back to Narrate Your Audiobook

Edward Herrmann, a prolific actor who narrated dozens of audiobooks, has been dead for almost a decade. But that hasn’t prevented him from being the voice of several recent audiobooks.

Mr. Herrmann’s latest work is generated by DeepZen Ltd., a London-based artificial-intelligence startup that was given access to the actor’s past recordings with his family’s permission. From that trove, DeepZen said it is able to generate any sound and intonation that Mr. Herrmann would have used if he were narrating these new books himself.

Resume Subscription

We are delighted that you’d like to resume your subscription.

You will be charged $ + tax (if applicable) for The Wall Street Journal. You may change your billing preferences at any time in the Customer Center or call Customer Service. You will be notified in advance of any changes in rate or terms. You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service.

Please click confirm to resume now.