Melania Trump Pioneers AI-Narrated Audiobook for Her Memoir, Sparking Debate in Publishing Industry

AI Melania Will Narrate the Audiobook of Her Memoir

First lady Melania Trump's 2024 self-titled memoir will represent the "future of publishing," she said, announcing that an audiobook of her memoir would be narrated by an AI-generated replica of her voice. Trump unveiled "Melania: The Audiobook" via X, proclaiming it as "A NEW ERA IN PUBLISHING." In an attached promotional clip, the narrator declares, "My story. My perspective. The truth." The seven-hour audiobook can be found on Trump's personal website. Software company ElevenLabs created the AI narration for Trump's audiobook. Despite only launching in 2022, ElevenLabs' voice synthesis technology has fueled multiple controversies after 4Chan users easily generated deep fake celebrities to spout hateful content and a nightmarish harassment campaign targeted actual voice actors. Since then, the company says it has tightened things up so you can only clone your own voice. Per Newsmax, Melania Trump said that ElevenLabs' developed its replica "under my strict supervision" and it will "establish an unforgettable connection with my personal story, in multiple languages for listeners worldwide." Currently, Trump's audiobook is only available in English, but there are plans to release additional languages in the fall. ElevenLabs can create audio in over 30 languages including Hindi, Spanish, and Russian. Trump released her memoir towards the end of last year's presidential election campaigns. It debuted at the top of the New York Times hardcover nonfiction best-seller list, but don't read too much into that. Trump's memoir barely sold over 85,000 hardcover copies in its first week. Compare that to Michelle Obama's "Becoming" which also debuted at number one and became the best-selling hardcover of 2018, selling 2 million copies in 15 days. Although "Melania" didn't generate huge sales, it does have a 3.83 rating on Goodreads. The book offered some insights into Trump's life, including how she met Donald Trump. She also surprised many with a pro-choice stance, writing, "A woman's fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes." AI audiobooks are on the rise. Several years ago, Apple quietly rolled out "digital narration" and, last year, Amazon shared plans to use AI narrators, too. ElevenLabs boasts that fake audiobook narrators can save on time and costs. Per its website, AI can narrate an audiobook "often in a matter of hours" and you don't have to worry about paying it a living wage.  However, even ElevenLabs recognizes that AI "lacks the nuanced emotional expression" of an actual person. Critiques that AI narration sounds "alien" or "glitchy" are common. Still, the company has high hopes for its partnership with Trump. Per NewsMax, CEO Mati Staniszewski said, "We're excited that Melania Trump trusted our technology to power this first-of-its-kind audiobook. We look forward to helping bring this book to the public in many other languages, in Mrs. Trump's own voice, soon."

Melania Trump welcomes you into the AI audiobook era with memoir 'Melania'

First lady Melania Trump signs the 'Take It Down' Act. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Melania Trump announced on Friday that she is releasing an AI audiobook version of her memoir, Melania. In an X post, the first lady welcomed followers into "a new era in publishing" and announced that an audiobook featuring an AI-generated version of her voice will be released in the ElevenReader app. "I am honored to bring you Melania -- The AI Audiobook -- narrated entirely using artificial intelligence in my own voice. Let the future of publishing begin." This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. The First Lady's book, Melania, was published in October 2024, and it's part memoir, part coffee table book. The Melania AI audiobook was released on May 22 through the ElevenReader app, a text-to-voice AI app that also lets authors create audiobooks from their work. Variety reports that the AI audiobook will soon be available in additional languages, from Spanish to Hindi. "Writing this memoir has been a deeply personal and reflective journey for me," Trump says in a trailer for the book. "As a private person who has often been the subject of public scrutiny and misrepresentation, I feel a responsibility to clarify the facts. I believe it is important to share my perspective, the truth." Audiobooks featuring AI-generated voices are a hot topic in the publishing world. On May 13, Amazon announced that it was working with publishers and authors to expand Audible's catalog of AI-narrated audiobooks. In a blog post, the company said it was "committed to working closely with authors, narrators, and publishers to ensure these technologies meet their creative and business needs while maintaining the quality standards our listeners expect." Using artificial intelligence tools, it's now possible to recreate someone's voice, and in virtually every language. So, rather than Trump going into a recording studio and reading her book line by line, AI tools can generate an entire audiobook recording based on samples of her voice. When done correctly, it's nearly impossible to tell the difference between the real voice and the AI version. Thus, companies can save significant amounts of time and money, and not just for audiobooks. Just this week, The New York Times reported that AI is already being used to reduce the costs of producing animation by up to 90 percent. Many artists -- including actors and voice actors -- see the use of artificial intelligence as a direct threat to their livelihoods. When the video game Fortnite recently introduced a Darth Vader character with an AI-generated voice based on actor James Earl Jones, the SAG-AFTRA union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board. Mashable has also reported on the backlash to the use of artificial intelligence to recreate the likeness of Agatha Christie and to generate material for movies like The Brutalist and Late Night With the Devil. ElevenLabs, the company that makes the ElevenReader app, recently received a $3.3 billion valuation. Variety also reports that the ElevenReader app features audiobooks with the voices of deceased celebrities, including Judy Garland and Jerry Garcia. These types of AI resurrection projects are becoming more common and more controversial.

Melania Trump Uses AI to Narrate Her New Memoir - Decrypt

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump has released the audiobook version of her memoir, "Melania," using an AI-generated replica of her voice -- marking the first time a U.S. First Lady has deployed artificial intelligence to narrate a commercial publication. The voice model was created "under her direction and supervision" in collaboration with AI audio startup ElevenLabs, according to her official website. The audiobook, launched Thursday, is available for $25 exclusively through the ElevenReader app, a dedicated AI-powered audio platform built by ElevenLabs. Initially released in English, additional versions in Spanish, Portuguese, and Hindi are expected in the coming weeks. "I am honored to bring you Melania - The AI Audiobook - narrated entirely using artificial intelligence in my own voice," Trump tweeted on Thursday. "Let the future of publishing begin." The book "reflects on her Slovenian childhood, the pivotal moments that led her to the world of high fashion in Europe and New York, and the serendipitous meeting with Donald Trump, a chance encounter that forever changed the course of her life," according to its official Amazon description. The use of AI to mimic Melania Trump's voice highlights the technical and legal considerations of AI voice cloning, Dhrupad Das, Web3 lawyer and founding partner at Panda Law, told Decrypt. Das said that while text-to-speech (TTS) technology is widely used and legally uncontroversial when it comes to generic narration, cloning the voice of a public figure introduces risk. While Trump has licensed the rights for the use of her voice to ElevenLabs, Das noted that, "There's a legal gray zone when AI mimics celebrities or political leaders, especially if their personality rights haven't been explicitly licensed." "The moment you use a recognizable voice, you're entering legal territory, even if the data came from public sources," Das noted. The lawyer added that the AI tech behind celebrity narrations could also be used to help scale education, accessibility, or government services. Melania Trump's audiobook runs just over seven hours and joins ElevenReader's growing catalog of AI-narrated works, which includes publications by figures including Maya Angelou, Deepak Chopra, and Arianna Huffington. Trump's public reemergence comes just days after her appearance at the White House for the signing of the "Take It Down Act," a new law that criminalizes the online publication of non-consensual intimate images, including AI-generated deepfakes, and mandates takedown by platforms within 48 hours. "This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or identity being abused," Melania Trump said at the signing.

Melania Trump uses AI vocal replica to narrate audiobook

Washington (AFP) - US First Lady Melania Trump warned recently of the danger of AI deepfakes. Now she is releasing an audiobook narrated by an artificial intelligence-generated version of her own voice. The 55-year-old wife of President Donald Trump announced the release of the seven-hour recording -- which retails for $25 -- in a social media post on Thursday. "My story, my perspective, the truth," narrates a voice in the Slovenian-born former model's distinctive accent, over a short black and white video featuring computer-generated graphics of her face. Whether it's Melania herself who is speaking in the video, or her AI doppelganger, is not made clear. She then writes in the same post: "I am honored to bring you Melania -- The AI Audiobook -- narrated entirely using artificial intelligence in my own voice. "Let the future of publishing begin." The website for the audiobook says the "AI-generated replica" of Melania Trump's voice was "created under Mrs. Trump's direction and supervision." "Multiple" foreign language versions would be available later this year, it added. Melania Trump released the physical edition of her memoir to great fanfare in October -- with a signed collector's edition printed on "premium art paper" priced at $150. The release of the AI-narrated audiobook comes just days after she joined President Trump to sign a bill making it a federal crime to post "revenge porn" -- whether real or generated using AI. Melania Trump had campaigned for the "Take It Down Act" in March in her first solo event since her husband returned to power, speaking out against "malicious online content, like deepfakes." The First Lady has largely been an elusive figure at the White House since her husband took the oath of office on January 20, spending only limited time in Washington alongside her billionaire husband. But it has not stopped her from taking on a handful of projects that carefully control her image -- and make money too. As well as the AI audiobook, Melania is filming a documentary series with Amazon, under a contract reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars.

Melania Trump releases audiobook version of her memoir. It's narrated by an AI voice

A bronze statue of Melania Trump has gone missing in her home country of Slovenia, five years after it replaced a wooden statue that was burned. First lady Melania Trump is getting a little help with the release of the audiobook version of her memoir: artificial intelligence. "I am honored to bring you Melania - The AI Audiobook - narrated entirely using artificial intelligence in my own voice," Trump wrote in a post on X, along with a futuristic video. "Let the future of publishing begin." The English version of the book, titled "Melania," has a runtime of seven hours and is for sale on the first lady's personal website for $25. It's available in other languages like Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, with "other languages coming soon," according to ElevenLabs. The first lady's memoir was published back in October 2024 in the middle of the presidential election. The book covers everything from Melania Trump's life in Cold War-era Yugoslavia to her marriage to President Donald Trump. It received major media coverage in the days before its release, as Melania defended a woman's right to choose in the book. "It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government," she wrote. Book comes as Trump warns of AI Earlier this week, President Donald Trump signed into law the bipartisan Take it Down Act, outlawing and penalizing the publication of nonconsensual real and computer-generated images, known as "deep fakes" that are often used as revenge pornography. The First Lady was in attendance at the signing and spoke on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. "Artificial intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation, sweet, addictive, and engineered to have an impact on the connectivity development of our children," she said. "But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized to shape beliefs and, sadly, affect emotions and even be deadly." AI narration faces debate The release of Melania Trump's audiobook narrated by artificial intelligence comes as a debate rages about the usage of the technology for narration. Earlier this month, Amazon-owned Audible announced that it was planning to use AI technology to narrate audiobooks via "select partnerships." "We are bringing new audiobooks to life through our own fully integrated, end-to-end AI production technology," Audible said in a news release. The company said the move benefits publishers as it allows audiobooks to be more easily distributed in various languages like English, Spanish, French and Italian. But some writers, translators and voice actors criticized the move. According to the Guardian, "Chocolat" author Joanne Harris said that Audible's move was "shortsighted." "In an age of declining literacy, I can't think of anything more likely to put people off listening to audiobooks altogether," Harris said. "This shortsighted scheme reduces what we love about storytelling to the simple delivery of code." Another critic told the Guardian that human audiobook narrators, who have included Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, "actively sell audio content by being good at their jobs." "The art - and it is an art - of a good audiobook is the crack in the voice at a moment of unexpected emotion, the wryness of good comedy timing, or the disbelief a listener feels when one person can convincingly be a whole cast of characters," Kristin Atherton told the outlet. Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY

Melania Trump releases audiobook of her memoir 'created entirely' with AI

First lady Melania Trump is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for the release of the audiobook version of her memoir with a "replica" of her voice narrating her story. "I am proud to be at the forefront of publishing's new frontier -- the intersection of artificial intelligence technology and audio," the first lady said in a Thursday statement announcing the launch of "Melania: The Audiobook." "ElevenLabs developed an AI-generated replica of my voice under my strict supervision, which will establish an unforgettable connection with my personal story, in multiple languages for listeners worldwide," Trump said. ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski called the effort a "first-of-its-kind audiobook project," saying the company looked "forward to helping bring this book to the public in many other languages" in the first lady's "own voice." More versions of her book "will be released in multiple languages, including Spanish, Hindi and Portuguese" in the fall, according to the publisher. The first lady was on-hand earlier this week at the White House as President Trump signed the Take it Down Act. The legislation, which Melania Trump helped push through Congress, is aimed at protecting people from non-consensual sexualized content posted online. In remarks at the signing of the new law, she shared a cautious message about the potential pitfalls of AI. "AI and social media are the digital candy for the next generation, sweet addictive and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children," Trump said. "But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs and, sadly, affect emotions and even be deadly," she added.

Melania Trump uses AI to narrate her memoir in her 'own voice': 'New...

She's letting artificial intelligence do the talking. First lady Melania Trump turned to AI to synthesize her voice for an audiobook of her personal memoir in what she is heralding as "a new era in publishing" -- bypassing the grueling process of recording herself reading the book. "I am honored to bring you Melania - The AI Audiobook - narrated entirely using artificial intelligence in my own voice," the first lady announced on X. "Let the future of publishing begin." She also posted a promotional sample of the AI replicating her voice that said, "My story. My perspective. The truth." "Melania: The Audiobook" is now for sale on the first lady's website for $25 and her team is planning to release other versions in different languages. The audiobook spans 7 hours and 1 minute. "ElevenLabs developed an AI-generated replica of my voice under my strict supervision, which will establish an unforgettable connection with my personal story, in multiple languages for listeners worldwide," she explained. ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski praised the gambit as a "first-of-its-kind audiobook project." The first lady released her memoir last year to give the public a glimpse of her upbringing and personal life. In it, she recounted how she met President Trump and described how she split with him on some key political issues, such as abortion. Earlier this year, it was revealed that she cut an eye-bulging $40 million deal with Amazon to produce a documentary on her life. Melania Trump has been famously reserved and largely steered clear of the public limelight throughout her husband's political career. Earlier this week, she joined her husband at the White House for a rare public appearance to support the "Take It Down Act," which he signed into law Monday. The measure outlawed AI-generated porn, including non-consensual intimate imagery used for purposes of "revenge." Melania Trump had promoted the legislation on Capitol Hill earlier this year in a rare public trip to Congress. She also co-signed the bill with her husband on Monday, an unusual step for a first lady. "This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or identity being abused," she said during the signing ceremony. "Artificial intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation -- sweet, addictive and engineered to have an impact on the connectivity development of our children," she continued. "But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs and sadly, affect emotions."

Melania Trump Launches Audiobook of Memoir Using AI To Mimic 'My Own Voice'

First lady Melania Trump has announced that the audiobook of her memoir will be entirely narrated using artificial intelligence to mimic her voice, a move she declared is "the future of publishing." The narrator of the audiobook, titled "Melania -- The AI Audiobook," is an AI-generated replica of Ms. Trump's voice, created in collaboration with ElevenLabs. According to Ms. Trump's official website, the project was developed under her "direction and supervision, which will establish an unforgettable connection with my personal story." "I am honored to bring you Melania -- The AI Audiobook -- narrated entirely using artificial intelligence in my own voice. Let the future of publishing begin," Ms. Trump posted on X. The audiobook, which runs just over seven hours, is currently available in English for $25. Versions in additional foreign languages are expected to be released at a later date. "My story. My perspective. The truth," the narrator says in a promotional clip shared by Ms. Trump on X. The innovation comes shortly after the release of Ms. Trump's memoir, a coffee-table book that debuted about a month before the 2024 Election Day. The book made headlines as the first lady publicly voiced her support for abortion rights, a stance that appeared to differ from her husband. Within its pages, she emphasized that limiting access to care restricts women's autonomy and she advocated for compassion and understanding on the issue. Ms. Trump recently returned to the public eye in Washington, D.C., after maintaining a low profile during the early months of her husband's return to the White House. She appeared this month alongside Mr. Trump at the signing of the "Take It Down Act," legislation aiming to combat the distribution of nonconsensual intimate imagery online. During the signing event at the White House, Ms. Trump commented on the broader influence of artificial intelligence and social media, describing them as "digital candy" for younger generations and cautioning against potential negative consequences. "This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or identity being abused," she said during the signing ceremony. "Artificial intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation -- sweet, addictive and engineered to have an impact on the connectivity development of our children. But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs and sadly, affect emotions," she said.