AI Resurrects Jerry Garcia's Voice: A New Era for Music Legends and Fan Engagement

Jerry Garcia Can Read to You Via a New AI Tool. It May Just Be the Beginning

Next year marks the 30th anniversary of Jerry Garcia's death. But a new AI initiative, as well as programs it could spawn, aims to keep the Grateful Dead leader's presence alive. This summer, ElevenLabs, a two-year-old software company known for its advanced, lifelike voice AI tools, announced a free app that allows fans of Judy Garland, Maya Angelou, Burt Reynolds, James Dean, and Sir Laurence Olivier to listen to AI-recreated versions of their voices read books, articles, poems, and other content. As of this week, Garcia became the newest -- and first music-connected -- member of what the company calls its "Iconic Voices" program. With ElevenLabs' Reader App, Deadheads can listen to an AI-generated version of Garcia's voice read to them, and in 32 different languages to boot. (Imagine Garcia wading through, say, Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test? Or a Ken Kesey novel?) "We felt he represented a certain time and an era of a certain type of music, and the sound of his voice is distinctive and different than what we already had on the platform," says Dustin Blank, head of partnerships at ElevenLabs. "I feel it adds a deeper layer to certain types of texts." According to Tina Xavie, whose Xavie Agency works with the Garcia estate (among others) on branding and licensing ventures, the AI project is a natural extension of Garcia's appeal. "Jerry cherished connecting with his fans," she says. "It's a gift to his fans, a chance to hear his voice and feel connected to him." But like Blank, she also sees it as a way to introduce Garcia to anyone born after the singer-guitarist died. "We've noticed a strong interest in AI among younger generations," says Xavie. "To connect Jerry's legacy with this demographic, we're leveraging AI technology to make his voice accessible. By using his voice to read a book, or send a personal message, we hope to introduce him to a new generation of fans." When ElevenLabs first approached the Garcia estate, Blank admits that the newness of AI technology required some explaining and convincing. "They had to understand what we were trying to achieve and what type of guardrails are in place," he says. "While we weren't overly worried, we were cautious about the potential for misuse of the technology," Xavie says. "We wanted to ensure that Jerry's voice wasn't used to generate content that was inconsistent with his character or beliefs, or that could harm fans." Blank says the company has a "a profanity filter and a filter where you cannot generate text that would cause self-harm or endanger a child." Additionally, the content can only be streamed. According to Xavie, all of the Garcia family members agreed to the deal, but the Jerry Garcia Foundation, headed by Garcia's youngest daughter, Keelin, led the charge on the project. "My father was a pioneering artist who embraced innovative audio and visual technologies," Keelin Garcia said in a statement. "Jerry was a visionary, an adventurer, and a lover of technology," Xavie adds, "and ElevenLabs has the best text-to-voice technology setting the standard in the talent space in AI." Blank says the rendering of Garcia's voice for the app went through 30 different iterations before the company felt they'd nailed it. But Blank clarifies that the goal was not to make anyone feel as if Garcia himself was reading the words. "We're very clear that these are AI narrators meant to add a different or unique experience to that piece of content," he says. "We want people to enjoy the content that sounds like the person, or is a recreated person, but is not them. There's a difference there, just like when Jerry's face is on a T-shirt, you don't want people to think it's actually him on the shirt." When the Garcia voice tool was announced this week, the Garcia Foundation hinted it could be used for audio art or narrated documentaries. Without getting specific, Xavie feels the potential is as limitless as a particularly lengthy "Dark Star." She cites "powering immersive concert experiences, enabling virtual performances, creating interactive fan experiences, and even facilitating virtual meet-and-greets at charity events, which the Foundation does often." Given the passion of the Deadheads, it's not surprising that the reaction from that community to the AI news ranged from open-minded curiosity to vigorous skepticism. "People have different points of views," Blank says. "They can vote if they like this or not with their button. No one's forcing anyone to listen to it. But for the people who do enjoy it and want to engage with it further, it's there for them." "I respect all Deadheads' opinions," says Xavie. "As a business agent, it's my duty to be skeptical and consider all angles for Jerry's sake. I believe we all share a deep love for Jerry and his impact on rock & roll. While we may not agree on everything, I hope we can unite in our appreciation for his legacy. If you find this AI program not to be fitting, please stay tuned, as we are passionate about continuing to create programs that honor Jerry and bring joy to fans."

Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia Resurrected By AI Using His Voice - Decrypt

Jerry Garcia may be gone, but he's not forgotten: A new app will now read your email or any other text in his voice. In a deal with the Garcia Estate, AI developer ElevenLabs recently added the legendary Grateful Dead frontman to its "Iconic Voice Project" lineup. Part e-reader, part audiobook streaming platform, the ElevenReader mobile app was designed as a way for people to listen to books, articles, PDFs, and even emails in the voice of a historical figure. Other notable voices in the app include "Rebel Without a Cause" star James Dean, "The Wizard of Oz" star Judy Garland, "True Grit" star John Wayne, and "Smokey and the Bandit" star Burt Reynolds. Deadheads were impressed with the likeness of Jerry's voice double. "I've heard a snippet of AI Jerry, and it does sound like him," author and historian Dennis McNally told Decrypt. "I can't imagine what he'd say about it," he added. "This is the 21st century, and he didn't live to see it, darn it." Garcia died in 1995 at the age of 53. McNally, who also worked as a publicist for the Grateful Dead, is the author of "A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead," as well as the editor of "Jerry on Jerry: The Unpublished Jerry Garcia Interviews." ElevenLabs said the ElevenReader can also help individuals with visual impairments or learning disabilities. ElevenLabs is part of a growing list of companies focused on creating realistic AI voices both in the US and internationally. Last year, leading up to the launch of the Phantom Liberty expansion for Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red collaborated with Ukraine-based voice AI tool developer Respeecher to recreate the voice of Polish actor Miłogost "Miłek" Reczek, who passed away in 2021. Respeecher later partnered with Calm to bring the vocal styling of "It's a Wonderful Life" star Jimmy Stewart to the app in December. In September, Google launched its AI-powered NotebookLM, which allows users to turn articles and videos into audio podcasts with the click of a button. While the idea of conversing with historical figures is novel, mental health experts caution that it may foster unrealistic expectations. "Users may form attachments to these AI recreations that can lead to unrealistic expectations in real-life relationships or create difficulty processing actual emotions. It could also skew perceptions of historical figures, as users might project their "thoughts and feelings onto these AI avatars," Sandra Kushnir, CEO of LA-based Meridian Counseling, told Decrypt. "For some, particularly those experiencing loneliness or depression, repeated reliance on AI interactions could diminish real-life social skills or create avoidance of genuine interpersonal connections," Kushnir added. ElevenLabs Head of Partnerships Dustin Blank said that the re-creation of Garcia's voice, added to the AI platform last week, will not be used to generate music or provide a downloadable voice that can be used elsewhere. "The purpose of these iconic voices is to add a deeper and new level of immersive experience to listening and reading the content," Blank told Decrypt, emphasizing that Garcia's voice will only be available within the ElevenReader app. "It's a different kind of experience that we're doing with these iconic voices that hopefully our users enjoy." Blank said ElevenLabs worked closely with the Garcia Estate, using archival interviews and audio materials to get Garcia's voice as close to the real thing as possible. However, Blank reiterated that this technology is not meant to replace the real Jerry Garcia. "At the end of the day, this is an AI narrator -- a representation of Jerry's voice, not the man himself," Blank said. That would have been a cool trick.