Jerry Garcia's AI Voice Model Can Read You Books, Articles and More

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Nov 12, 2024

The Grateful Dead will never truly die so long as things like a Jerry Garcia AI voice model exist.

The estate of the late guitar legend has announced a partnership with speech synthesis company ElevenLabs to recreate Garcia's voice using artificial intelligence.

Through the company's ElevenReader app, Garcia's voice can read users audiobooks, e-books, articles, poetry, fan stories, PDFs and more in 32 different languages.

Billboard notes that the Garcia voice model will also be used for various projects associated with the Jerry Garcia Foundation, which could include documentaries, audio art exhibits and more.

ElevenLabs worked "in close collaboration with the Jerry Garcia Estate to ensure that the reproduction of Garcia's voice was as authentic and true to his legacy as possible."

The company has already partnered with estates to create voice models of Judy Garland, James Dean and Burt Reynolds.

"My father was a pioneering artist, who embraced innovative audio and visual technologies," says Keelin Garcia, daughter of Jerry and co-founder and VP of the Jerry Garcia Foundation. "In the 1990s, my dad introduced me to the computer, digital art, and video games. When we travelled on concert tour, we played on Game Boy. At home, we'd have fun playing on the Macintosh in the studio where my father created his first digital art, and housed his MIDI guitar. Now, as technological landscapes continue to expand, ElevenLabs AI Audio technology will offer fans the first opportunity to hear and stream a replica of my father's voice reading their favourite books and other written content."

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