AI Comes to Audiobooks

Share This Post

Although sales of audiobooks in 2020 topped $1.3 billion, an increase of 13% over 2019, the ‘manufacturing’ process remains onerous. With “brand-name talent” getting paid over $1,000 per finished hour (PFH) of the audiobook, and the typical two-hour session in the studio only garnering one finished hour, the costs – alongside the timeline – swiftly lengthens. In come the plethora of digital voice technologies covered in this article, each pining after the ‘holy grail’ : “mak[ing] their voices indistinguishable from human voices”. Read full article here

More To Explore

Societal Issues

To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater

With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here

Science

A look inside the lab building mushroom computers

The Unconventional Computing Laboratory at the University of the West of England is pushing the boundaries of computing, working to see if mushrooms can be used to carry out computing and sensing functions. By stimulating the mycelium—the branching, web-like root structure of the fungus—researchers can get it to produce electrical activity and see if it can be used to create complex, multi-dimensional functions that are more precise than traditional computers. This could lead to a whole new world of possibilities, such as using mushrooms to create fault-tolerant, energy-efficient computers and even mapping neural networks. It’s truly a fascinating field of study – and one that could shape the future of computing. Read full article here

Do You want to embrace intellectual freedom and join our premium users?

FASCINATING READS, SUMMARISED

The occasional email full of conversation-worthy content