Elevenlabs is about to put a lot of translation dub actors out of work
Oscar winners Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine have inked a deal with AI audio company ElevenLabs, allowing the New York-based startup to create digital versions of their voices.
The move is part of an ongoing push to blend Hollywood star power with artificial intelligence, and to tackle what the company calls a “key ethical challenge” in the industry’s growing tech crossover.
McConaughey, who has been collaborating with ElevenLabs since 2022 and now holds a stake in the company, will use the technology to translate his Lyrics of Livin’ newsletter into Spanish, with his own AI-generated voice narrating. While he is an investor in ElevenLabs, his voice is not available on the company’s Iconic Voices Marketplace for public licensing.
Caine’s voice, by contrast, will join ElevenLabs’ new Iconic Voices Marketplace, which lets brands officially license celebrity voices for digital use. “For years, I’ve lent my voice to stories that moved people,” Caine said in a statement. “Now, I’m helping others find theirs.”
The marketplace also includes voices from across Hollywood history — everyone from John Wayne and Judy Garland to Liza Minnelli and Maya Angelou. ElevenLabs, now valued at around $6.6 billion, joins a growing list of AI ventures partnering with big-name talent as the entertainment industry continues to wrestle with what “authenticity” means in the age of algorithms.
