Copyright Variety
Actors Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine have teamed with AI audio company ElevenLabs to produce virtual replications of their famous voices. McConaughey also is investing an undisclosed sum in New York-based ElevenLabs. He’s collaborated with the company since it was founded in 2022. Now McConaughey is using ElevenLabs’ technology to bring a Spanish-language audio version of his newsletter “Lyrics of Livin’” in his own voice. McConaughey said in a statement, “Since our first conversation, I’ve been impressed by how the ElevenLabs team has taken the magic of the core technology and turned it into products that creators, enterprises and storytellers use daily. I launched my newsletter, ‘Lyrics of Livin’,’ as a way to share stories and ideas in my own voice with those who want to listen. Now, thanks to ElevenLabs, ‘Lyrics of Livin’’ is expanding with a Spanish language edition, allowing us to reach and connect with even more people. To everyone building with voice technology: keep going. You’re helping create a future where we can look up from our screens and connect through something as timeless as humanity itself — our voices.” Under Caine’s deal with ElevenLabs, the 92-year-old British thespian is joining the company’s newly launched Iconic Voice Marketplace, which will let companies and creative teams request approval to use Caine’s voice for projects and content (including to narrate books and articles). Listen to Caine’s AI-generated voice in this sizzle reel released by ElevenLabs. “Each new advancement in technology is met with caution — and rightly so. But every single time, the human drive for passion, artistry and creativity prevails,” Caine’s voiceover says. “Because technology is just the medium. This is humanity — amplified.” Caine joins other celebrity voices that are available on the marketplace, including Liza Minelli, Judy Garland, John Wayne, Laurence Olivier, Jean Harlow, Lana Turner, Maya Angelou, Alan Turing and Babe Ruth. According to ElevenLabs, the Iconic Voice Marketplace “solves a key ethical challenge in AI-driven media creation by enabling the ethical sourcing and licensing of some of the world’s most recognizable voices.” In a statement provided by the company, Caine said: “For years, I’ve lent my voice to stories that moved people — tales of courage, of wit, of the human spirit. Now, I’m helping others find theirs. With ElevenLabs, we can preserve and share voices — not just mine, but anyone’s. ElevenLabs is at the very forefront of technology, using innovation not to replace humanity, but to celebrate it. ElevenLabs gives everyone the tools to be heard. It’s not about replacing voices; it’s about amplifying them, opening doors for new storytellers everywhere. I’ve spent a lifetime telling stories. ElevenLabs will help the next generation tell theirs.” ElevenLabs’ Iconic Voice Marketplace is a two-sided platform that allows companies to request access to talent for campaigns, partnerships and creative initiatives. Through the marketplace, ElevenLabs connects the requesting company with the relevant brand or IP rights holder. Once both parties are aligned, they can use ElevenLabs’ technology to formalize the collaboration or licensing deal. The new marketplace “demonstrates how AI can responsibly expand opportunities for studio and talent, while enhancing storytelling,” said Mati Staniszewski, CEO and co-founder of ElevenLabs. He called Caine “an iconic creator and voice whose cultural and artistic consequence we hope will only be further championed through this platform.” Here’s the full list of celebrity voices in ElevenLabs’ Iconic Voice Marketplace: Michael Caine, Liza Minelli, Art Garfunkel, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Judy Garland, John Wayne, Bettie Page, Burt Reynolds, Maya Angelou, Richard Feynman, Laurence Olivier, Amelia Earhart, Babe Ruth, Mark Twain, Ty Cobb, Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano, Al Joyner, Johnny Weissmuller, Jim Thorpe, Thomas Edison, Jean Harlow, Lana Turner, Mickey Rooney, Montgomery Clift, Alan Turing, J. Robert Oppenheimer and Rock Hudson. Last month, ElevenLabs announced a $100 million tender offer to let its employees cash out their stock, a transaction that valued the company at $6.6 billion, double its Series C funding-round valuation at the beginning of 2025. The tender was led by existing investors Sequoia and Iconiq with participation from others including a16z (Andreessen Horowitz), Smash Capital and World Innovation Lab. The company said it has more than 330 employees, up from 70 a year ago.
