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| Type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Artificial intelligence |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | New York City, United States |
| Website | elevenlabs |
Eleven Labs Inc. is an American software company developing natural-sounding speech synthesis and text-to-speech software, using artificial intelligence and deep learning.
History
ElevenLabs was co-founded in 2022 by Piotr Dabkowski, an ex-Google machine learning engineer and Mati Staniszewski, an ex-Palantir deployment strategist. The company publicly released its beta platform in January 2023.
Products
ElevenLabs is primarily known for its browser-based, AI-assisted text-to-speech software, which can produce lifelike speech by synthesizing vocal emotion and intonation. The company states its software is built to adjust the intonation and pacing of delivery based on the context of language input used. Through its beta site, users can submit text and generate audio files from a selection of default voices. Premium users are given the ability to upload custom voice samples to create new vocal styles.
Uses
In 2023, Super-Hi-Fi, a streaming automation service, partnered with ElevenLabs to launch a fully automated radio service called "AI Radio", using ElevenLabs' software to voice its virtual DJ from prompts generated with ChatGPT. Comedian Drew Carey used the company's voice cloning tool to recreate his voice for an episode of his radio show, Friday Night Freakout.Polish TV and radio presenter Jaroslaw Kuzniar has also used a synthesized version of his voice to deliver a series of podcasts on the War in Ukraine.
Reception
ElevenLabs was criticized after users were able to abuse its software to generate controversial statements in the vocal style of celebrities, public officials, and other famous individuals. The software's ability to closely copy real voices has raised ethical concerns, with critics considering it a form of deepfaking. In response, the company said it would work on mitigating potential abuse through safeguards and identity verification. The company has subsequently limited access to its voice cloning feature to paid subscribers, citing the requirement to provide payment information as means for improving accountability.