From audiobooks and podcasts to narrated news articles, audio content has become inescapable. In 2024, 38% of Americans listened to an audiobook, according to the Audio Publishers Association. But an audio piece is only as compelling as the voice reading it. That’s where ElevenLabs comes in.

With offices in London, New York, and Warsaw, ElevenLabs is an AI audio company with a mission to make content universally accessible. The company’s team of researchers and product specialists develop AI audio models capable of generating uncannily lifelike speech in 32 languages, voices, and sound effects.

Most of us have felt underwhelmed by AI-delivered audio content that sounds dull, artificial, or rhythmically off. The problem, ElevenLabs’ research team finds, is that traditional text-to-speech products split syllables into sounds, which can come off as robotic. ElevenLabs takes a different approach. Its model picks up emotional cues and cultural context in text and adapts its delivery appropriately.

“Our technology works differently by understanding both what the sentence is saying and how it should sound,” say Jack McDermott, who leads ElevenLabs’ growth for their ElevenReader audiobook app. “This lets our AI voices achieve high emotional range and avoid making logical errors when your content is read aloud.”

Essentially, the team behind ElevenLabs insisted on bringing real human voices into the development of the platform. The company has partnered with voice actors including Bob Carter, famous for his roles in video games like Mortal Kombat. Carter is among the thousands of voice actors contributing to, and earning income from ElevenLabs’ Voice Library, which paid out more than $1 million to contributors in its first year.

“We have always viewed AI voice narration as one part of an ecosystem that includes voice narrators and creators,” McDermott says. “It’s why we’ve championed a responsible approach to using and safeguarding AI voices, building our platform in partnership with voice actors.”

The emotional range built into ElevenLabs’ publishing platform gives an edge to book publishers wanting to transform their written words into rich, immersive audio. The platform simplifies audiobook production for smaller independent publishers, including first-time audiobook publishers. Larger publishers or those seeking a broader audience for their audiobooks can use the platform to expand internationally in dozens of languages. In the future, ElevenLabs hopes to make great audio content available in any language globally.

The company’s AI tools are also geared to individuals. Writers and editors, for instance, can have their written work read back to them by AI that sounds like an actual person. Independent authors can use the ElevenReader app to share their audiobooks directly with audiences. Soon, the new ElevenReader Publishing program will let authors and publishers sell audiobooks directly through the ElevenReader app.

The platform is transforming audio content beyond the realms of book publishing and news media, too. Gaming developers use ElevenLabs AI to animate characters, for example, while entertainment studios can adapt content for audiences in different countries and regions. And, for people who have lost their voices, ElevenLabs tools can enable communication and help address other accessibility needs.

Across its many applications, the ElevenLabs AI platform is also built to ensure safety and transparency.

For actors who contribute to the Voice Library and authors who share their work through the app, ElevenLabs can be a trusted partner. Listeners can take comfort knowing that the creators behind the work are being compensated.

“We develop our tools mindful of their impact,” McDermott says. “AI voices offer a preview of the future of digital interaction, and making them safe is our priority. Our goal is to ensure that our products are developed, deployed, and used safely while continuing to drive positive and creative applications.”

Learn about ElevenLabs at elevenlabs.io.