A UK woman with motor neurone disease (MND) has had her voice restored after 25 years using AI technology. Sarah Ezekiel, diagnosed with MND at 34, lost her ability to speak and has been using a synthetic voice. A tech firm, Smartbox, used a mere eight-second audio clip from an old VHS tape to recreate her voice.
Smartbox employed AI from ElevenLabs to isolate and enhance the faint audio, creating a voice model that echoes Sarah's original speech. The AI was able to fill in gaps and create a recognisable replica of her younger voice. Sarah now uses eye-gaze technology to control the AI-generated voice, enabling her to communicate with her own, albeit synthetic, voice.
The restored voice has had a profound impact on Sarah and her family, allowing her to reconnect emotionally and reclaim her identity. Her children, who had only known her robotic voice, were deeply moved by the result. The technology highlights the potential of AI to improve the quality of life for individuals affected by debilitating conditions.
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