ElevenLabs Showcases AI-Powered Multilingual Dubbing in PM Modi's Interview with Lex Fridman

ElevenLabs Brings PM Modi's Voice to the World

ElevenLabs' Srinivasan told AIM that the company supports 11 Indian languages, with plans to expand further. The recent three-hour podcast featuring computer scientist Lex Fridman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi gained widespread attention. Streamed in Hindi, English and even Russian, it has been called the "best dubbing" to date by many. The hyperrealistic AI translations, nearly indistinguishable from the original, were made possible by ElevenLabs, a three-year-old AI startup. The technology was also deployed to translate Lex's interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv in English, Ukrainian, and Russian. While this is not the first time PM Modi has used AI for translation, it was a crucial opportunity for ElevenLabs to showcase its technology by helping world leaders reach a global audience in multiple languages. Siddharth Srinivasan, who is heading ElevenLabs in India, told AIM that India is ElevenLabs' biggest market yet, and the company is actively expanding its team in the country to build the future of voice AI. He believes the opportunity is immense for a country like India, given its diversity in languages and accessibility needs. Srinivasan revealed that ElevenLabs is nearing a team of 10 employees in the country, currently focusing on business-related roles, and has plans for further expansion. This aligns with the trend of Western labs and startups establishing their presence in India. OpenAI and Perplexity are also reportedly preparing to expand in the country soon. Last month, the Poland-based startup closed another funding round, raising $108 million at a valuation of $3.3 billion. ElevenLabs went from a weekend project to a startup in April 2022, when founders Mati Staniszewski and Piotr Dabkowski set out to solve poor dubbing with lifelike voice synthesis. While there is significant competition in the voice AI space, including traditional tech companies, ElevenLabs' differentiation in the Indian market comes from catering to different accents and languages accurately. ElevenLabs offers several distinct models for its AI audio technology, specifically tailored for different use cases, such as text-to-speech (TTS) and speech-to-text (STT). "We have the fastest model in the world in Indic languages, which is...speech-to-text language," Srinivasan added. As of now, the company supports 11 Indian languages, with plans to expand further. However, Srinivasan noted, "If you get about eight to 11 languages on both sides, [you cover] 70% of India." Limited digital data for many Indian languages remains an obvious challenge. ElevenLabs is addressing this by building datasets through strategic partnerships and community involvement. Overall, the company's multilingual AI model supports 29 languages, providing highly realistic, emotional voices in each. Moreover, their conversational AI model supports 32 languages, enabling natural, real-time conversations. They've also developed an advanced speech-to-text model in 99 languages, including 11 Indian languages. ElevenLabs has effectively productised its technology to cater to content creators and developers. Their API is user-friendly, allowing large-scale integration, particularly appealing to developers and businesses looking for scalable solutions. Podcasters generally are a huge target audience for the company. In addition to Fridman, Indian tech podcaster Varun Mayya employs ElevenLabs' technologies for his own brand and other companies. The company has also partnered with neuroscientist and podcaster Andrew Huberman to dub content for his Huberman Lab podcast into Hindi and Spanish. Their partnerships with Spotify help in producing AI-narrated audiobooks. Srinivasan mentioned how Star Sports uses its technology to dub Steve Smith's voice in Hindi and Tamil, and localising cricket content for a broader audience. In terms of new features and partnerships, last year ElevenLabs launched GenFM (a feature similar to Google's NotebookLM) for multispeaker podcasts and partnered with Pocket FM to help writers turn stories into audio. In addition to the content creation market, industries of focus in India include customer support and education. Recently, the company also hosted a hackathon in Bengaluru as part of its global tour, with India recording the highest number of registrations. The showcased projects included an AI agent for emotional support, an AI video framework with designated roles for content creation, and a voice AI solution for rural India to enhance accessibility in areas where chatbots are limited. Srinivasan, who comes with a decade of experience at YouTube, understands the creator ecosystem in the country. He believes the future of AI will not be limited to just one interface - although voice will be a massive pillar of it. He pointed to a consistent trend in media and technology towards multimodal interactions, and even going forward people will engage with AI across voice, text, video, and visuals. "Even before the rise of generative AI, people were engaging with technologies like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri," he said. But, he is confident that voice will remain the most natural interface, as it continues to be the most basic and widely used form of communication, deeply embedded in both consumer and business interactions. Srinivasan also acknowledged the risks of deepfakes and emphasised that ElevenLabs uses moderation, permission for consent, and traceability to prevent misuse.

How ElevenLabs enabled AI-powered dubbing for PM Modi's Lex Fridman interview

Prime minister Narendra Modi's chat with MIT scientist and American podcaster Lex Fridman made headlines for many reasons. The prime minister made comments supporting US president Donald Trump, lauded Elon Musk and his mission with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and much more. He also spoke about artificial intelligence (AI) and what it can enable. Interestingly, the technology, now indispensable in any sector, was working its magic in that interview itself. The podcast was dubbed by voice-based generative AI startup ElevenLabs. Using AI voice cloning technology, the company provided authentic voices of PM Modi and Fridman in Hindi and English, even achieving their intonations, emotions, and style of speech. The audio and subtitles of the podcast are currently available in Hindi, English, and Russian, and more languages will soon be added. The original mix of Hindi and English is also available for those who wish to hear it. Mati Staniszewski, cofounder of ElevenLabs, said in a post on X, "Inspired by Lex Fridman and Narendra Modi's conversation - so proud of our team for making it accessible in both English and Hindi. ElevenLabs was founded on the back of poor-quality dubbing. Seeing it evolve into an immersive experience that preserves emotion and intent is incredible." What is AI voice cloning? AI voice cloning is a technology that uses artificial intelligence to replicate a person's voice. Essentially, it creates a digital copy of someone's voice that can then be used to generate speech. This has many applications, including creating character voices for video games and animations, personalised voice assistants or customer service tools for businesses, and dubbing videos into different languages in the original speaker's voice. Big India market Siddharth Srinivasan, a senior executive at the firm, had told ET earlier this month that India has emerged as the biggest user market for the US-based startup, with Hindi being among the top three languages. The $3.3 billion AI audio company, backed by Silicon Valley-based venture capitalists a16z and Sequoia, chose India as its first international expansion market last September and is investing to localise language content. India is a voice-first market with over 145 million users, which would keep voice input growing, said Srinivasan. Meanwhile, on the output side, India might have over 100 million podcast listeners over the next two years, while AI agents are expected to become a $500 million opportunity by 2030, he said.

ElevenLabs brings AI-powered multilingual dubbing to Modi-Fridman podcast

ElevenLabs, a global leader in AI-driven voice and audio innovation, has dubbed Lex Fridman's recent podcast with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi into Hindi and English. The three-hour conversation, now accessible in both languages, preserves the natural tone of each speaker through advanced AI technology. The ElevenLabs Productions team collaborated closely with Modi and Fridman to match Modi's voice in English and Fridman's in Hindi, ensuring accuracy and authenticity. India has emerged as ElevenLabs' largest global market, leading the company to expand its local team, invest in AI audio research, and support regional initiatives. The podcast traces Modi's journey from childhood to becoming India's Prime Minister. It covers topics like leadership, diplomacy, democracy in India, poverty, the 2002 Gujarat riots, U.S. President Donald Trump, and China. Modi shared insights on AI, stating, "Without genuine human intelligence, AI cannot thrive or progress sustainably." He emphasized collaboration in AI development and India's critical role, saying, "No matter what the world does with AI, it will remain incomplete without India. I'm making this statement very responsibly." ElevenLabs describes AI dubbing as a cutting-edge process using generative AI to translate speech into different languages seamlessly. AI voice cloning replicates a speaker's unique traits -- intonation, emotion, and authenticity -- for a natural listening experience. This technology, showcased in the Modi-Fridman podcast, helps global leaders, educators, and influencers reach wider audiences authentically. Mati Staniszewski, Co-founder of ElevenLabs, praised the team's efforts in a post on X (formerly Twitter) and said: Inspired by Lex Fridman and Narendra Modi's conversation -- so proud of our team for making it accessible in both English and Hindi. ElevenLabs was founded on the back of poor-quality dubbing. Seeing it evolve into an immersive experience that preserves emotion and intent is incredible. As AI voice cloning advances, this podcast demonstrates its power to enhance cross-cultural communication, making significant discussions accessible worldwide.

ElevenLabs Enables multilingual AI Dubbing for Lex Fridman's Podcast with Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Lex Fridman's recent podcast with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now available with AI-generated multilingual dubbing by ElevenLabs. The conversation was made possible in Hindi and English, preserving the natural tone of both speakers. The ElevenLabs Productions team matched Prime Minister Modi's voice in English and Lex Fridman's voice in Hindi, working closely with both parties to preserve the natural tone and accuracy of the conversation. India is now ElevenLabs' largest global market, and the company is expanding its local team to meet demand, investing in AI audio research, and supporting local initiatives. Lex Fridman's podcast is part of ElevenLabs' broader effort to make important conversations available in many languages, helping global audiences listen naturally, without language barriers. Watch the full interview here. About: ElevenLabs builds AI audio tools for businesses, media and creators, aiming to develop the leading AI audio platform, advance AI audio intelligence, and make information accessible in any voice, language, or sound. Our models generate ultra-realistic speech and sounds in 32 languages, supporting industries like publishing, entertainment, education, accessibility, and conversational AI. We develop our tools mindful of their impact, balancing safety with innovation to support practical and creative applications. For further information please visit https://elevenlabs.io/ or contact [email protected]. For our logos, and photos of the founders and team, refer to our press page. ElevenLabs on X - https://x.com/elevenlabsio