Pratik PatelJan 5, 2023

I have mixed feelings about this.

Apple quietly launches a catalog of #books narrated by #AI on its Books app, in a move that publishers, authors, and agents warn may upend the #audiobook market.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/04/apple-artificial-intelligence-ai-audiobooks

#Bookstodon

Death of the narrator? Apple unveils suite of AI-voiced audiobooks

Exclusive: tech firm quietly launches new audiobook catalogue narrated by AI – but move expected to spark backlash

The Guardian
Show threadPratik PatelJan 5, 2023

If you're looking for samples of #audiobooks narrated by AI, search for the term "Narrated by Apple Books" in the Apple Books app. It will pull up a list of books converted to Audio by #Apple.

Here are a few samples:

https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/id1636546592

https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/id1640349620

#bookstodon #accessibility #audio

‎Loving From Afar

‎Romance · 2022

Apple Books
Show threadMorgan le Fay/MerlinJan 5, 2023
@ppatel I wish I could get access to this. It would make getting the rest of my audiobooks out so much simpler. I’m using one of the readers from NLS to try to narrate, and that doesn’t work very well.
Show threadPratik PatelJan 6, 2023
@evilcookies98 Depending on the genres of your books, the option may be available to you. They're adding some genres and other genres are available.
Show threadMorgan le Fay/MerlinJan 6, 2023
@ppatel I don’t think mine qualify right now, and even if they did, knowing Apple, they’ll charge me an arm and a leg anyway
Show threadPratik PatelJan 6, 2023
@evilcookies98 Based on everything I saw, there isn't a charge for you to be in the program. They just take a cut of the sale price.
Show threadMorgan le Fay/Merlin
@ppatel I hope they open it up more really soon because that would make my life so much easier. A 20 cell display. That would rather use less than half the display then split a word between two lines. Doesn’t bode well for narrating books.
Jan 7, 2023 at 12:08amWeb