Val Kilmer may have lost the ability to talk after receiving throat cancer treatment, but his voice can be heard once more thanks to an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that learned to mimic his voice.
AI developer Sonantic was able to train the AI speech synthesis algorithm to mimic the "Top Gun" actor's voice with high accuracy.
Val Kilmer Has AI Algorithm Mimic His Voice
Val Kilmer battled throat cancer a few years back and lost his ability to talk due to the cancer treatment he received. Thanks to an AI algorithm, Kilmer can now speak again in a way because the speech synthesis algorithm has been trained to mimic his voice. Sonantic trained the AI algorithm using old recordings of Val Kilmer's voice.
According to Futurism, "it's a similar idea to how the creators of the documentary "Roadrunner" used an algorithm to synthesize the late Anthony Bourdain's voice." The difference is, per the report, that Kilmer actually worked with Sonantic on the speech synthesis algorithm, which means the AI developer had his permission.
In a promotional video posted on YouTube, viewers can hear Val Kilmer's voice once more as he speaks through the algorithm. According to the report by Futurism, "the voice is a little rough around the edges - if you're listening closely, you can tell that it's not actually a human making the noises that you're hearing."
The report likewise points out that if you did not know any better, the AI can easily fool you into thinking that the "Batman" actor still sounds that way.
Check out the video below to hear Val Kilmer's voice once more:
Related Article: AI Voice Generation Used for New Anthony Bourdain Documentary, Is This Deepfake?
What is Speech Synthesis?
Hearing Val Kilmer's voice as it used to be would not have been possible if it were not for the AI speech synthesis algorithm used by Sonantic. But what exactly is speech synthesis?
Collins Dictionary defines speech synthesis as a "computer-generated audio output that imitates human speech."
Multiple companies offer speech synthesis as part of their lineup of products and services. These include Google's Text-to-Speech and Descript's Overdub.
Sonantic, the company Val Kilmer worked with to recreate his voice using Ai, is another example of a company that has focused on speech synthesis. According to the company website, Sonantic's AI Voices uses AI-generated voices to provide life-like video game and film performances.
Other Examples of AI Mimicking Voices
Both Val Kilmer and Anthony Bourdain's AI-generated voices are not the first time AI has been used to mimic human voices.
Last month, it was reported here on Tech Times that startup companies have been using AI voice actors more and more for video games and digital assistants.
Back in April, AI audio startup company Alforithmic recreated Albert Einstein's voice using AI for the company's chatbox.
Also Read: Alforithmic, AI Audio Startup Company, Uses Albert Einstein's Voice For Its Chatbox
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Isabella James
