Homer, meet AI Michael Caine.
The 93-year-old actor’s digitally cloned voice is narrating one of literature’s oldest epics, “Odyssey.”
His voice, including its gravelly quality and thick Cockney accent, was replicated with his permission through a deal with ElevenLabs, which licenses AI versions of artists’ voices.
The London-based company, which launched in 2023, has ramped up its efforts to woo talent as it seeks to win over creatives wary of AI.
The startup has what it describes as a marketplace system, which lets companies ask to license AI-generated replicas of certain highly recognizable voices for use in media campaigns and creative projects. Other voices available to license in the marketplace include those of celebrities like Stan Lee and David Hasselhoff, historical figures like Thomas Edison and J. Robert Oppenheimer and fictional characters like Optimus Prime and Mr. Potato Head.
Caine’s “Odyssey” narration, however, is the first time the platform has used one of its famous voices to produce an audiobook.
The Greek epic, which follows Odysseus on his perilous 10-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, is a foundational work in Western literature. The tale has been continuously retold, translated and adapted into various formats over nearly three millennia. The audio retelling launched just before Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation lands in theaters.
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Throughout the audiobook, which is available on ElevenLabs’ text-to-speech platform, ElevenReader, Caine’s voice clone is accompanied by a cast of other AI-generated character voices, music and sound effects.
“By bridging classical storytelling with digital innovation, this epic is reimagined for modern audiences through ElevenReader,” said Caine, who won Oscars for the 1986 film “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “The Cider House Rules” in 1999. “It was a pleasure to be a part of this retelling.”
The audiobook was released amid Hollywood’s ongoing tension over AI, which some see as a time- and money-saving tool and others view as a threat to jobs and creative work.
AI companies are increasingly striking licensing deals with talent across sectors to avoid blowback from creatives who worry that their voices and likenesses would otherwise be stolen. In January, ElevenLabs launched what it said is the first major AI-generated album made with full permission from human artists, including singer Liza Minnelli.
The entertainment industry has also been rapidly embracing AI in other areas. Netflix bought Ben Affleck’s AI startup, InterPositive, in March, Lionsgate signed a partnership with the AI company Runway in 2024, and Disney initiated what turned out to be a short-lived partnership with OpenAI’s Sora in December. (The deal was dropped in March when OpenAI shuttered its video-creation app.)
Still, celebrities who appear to embrace AI have been met with pushback.
News of ElevenLabs’ “Odyssey” audiobook drew criticism online — particularly from some in the entertainment industry who criticized Caine’s decision to license his voice for the project.
“Oh sick, I’ve always loved the general sound and tone of an actor’s voice but HATED having to see them make interesting choices,” writer and director Ben Mekler posted in response to the news.
Filmmaker Brian Duffield said on X that he would “happily buy a real Michael Caine impersonator reading The Odyssey over this nonsense.”
Voice actor Kyle Hebert wrote on X: “If he approved, at least there’s that. Easy payday, I guess. Still don’t know a single soul who loves AI generated VO.”
