😋 Experiment: Can AI Voice the Simpsons?

Journalists from The New York Times invited voice actor Hank Azaria, the man behind more than 100 Simpsons characters, to participate in an experiment. The main question: Can AI do his job?

Spoiler: Not yet.

For the test, Azaria's recorded lines—including those of bartender Moe Szyslak and Police Chief Wiggum—were fed into ElevenLabs AI to generate artificial versions of his iconic voices.

The result? Flat and lifeless. The AI-generated voices lacked the signature traits of the characters. "Just a vocal version of printed text," Azaria noted.

The actor explained that voice acting isn't just about sound—it's a full-body performance. He recalled how, early in his career, he felt embarrassed watching his colleagues waving their arms and jumping around in front of a microphone. But over time, he realized that this energy is what brings characters to life.

At the same time, Azaria is concerned about the profession's future. "The conventional wisdom in Hollywood is that the technology for making faces seem fully human is five years away. I fear that the voice equivalent is also coming," he said.

AI's growing role in entertainment has already sparked controversy. Recent cases include AI-modified accents in The Brutalist and a voice in ChatGPT that sounded "eerily similar" to Scarlett Johansson. Azaria believes that in the end, it will be the audience who decides AI's place in creative industries.

Would you watch shows voiced entirely by AI?

❤️ — Yes, it's faster and more convenient
🤔 — Maybe in a few years
🙈 — No, actors can't be replaced!

#experiment #movies @hiaimediaen