Audible wants to train AI voice clones

Top News

• Audible to train AI voice clones: Amazon’s Audible is introducing a program that lets a select group of professional narrators in the US train AI models on their voices. This initiative allows narrators to create voice replicas that can be used for audiobook recordings, replacing company-owned synthetic voices. Narrators will receive free voice replication, compensation through royalty-sharing, and control over which projects use their AI voices. Audible, in turn, hopes to expand its audiobook library and offer more exclusive content. As long as narrators are fairly compensated and maintain ownership of their voices, this initiative could be equally beneficial for both parties.

• AI startups face massive competition: The race among AI startups has been fast, with a reported $35.5 billion invested in the first half of 2024. Now, it seems a divide is forming. After OpenAI released ChatGPT in 2022, many AI startups popped up and raised hundreds of millions of dollars. But, currently, many of these companies are struggling to keep up with competitors, and some co-founders are even stepping away to join big tech firms. Meanwhile, companies with much more capital to spare are investing aggressively to develop their AI systems. As Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei noted in April, "the current crop of AI models on the market cost around $100 million to train”. In the race for AI startups, it seems like the companies with the deepest pockets will ultimately come out on top.

• EV startup plans an IPO: India-based electric scooter manufacturer Ather Energy hopes to raise $530 million in its initial public offering, targeting a valuation of $1.5 billion to $2 billion. With reported revenue of $213 million and a 19% share of the electric two-wheeler market, Ather is looking to capitalize on government incentives and rising fuel costs in the world’s third-largest auto market. Competing with rivals like Ola Electric and TVS Motor, which hold 31% and 20% of the market share, respectively, we’ll have to wait and see if Ather’s in-house design approach and the burgeoning market will be enough to meet its IPO goals.

Medium on the Pod

Alex is on a roll with these TWiST500 interviews! He sat down with Jeremy Allaire of Circle, a fintech platform that uses stablecoins for payments and e-commerce. To date, Circle has received $1.1 billion in total funding and recently became the first global stablecoin issuer compliant with the European Union’s strict crypto laws.

In Friday’s episode, Jeremy walked us through his career journey from Macromedia to founding Circle, highlighting the evolution of the internet and financial technologies. The conversation dived into Bitcoin, stablecoins, and Circle's compliance approach, exploring the current state of the stablecoin market and its integration with traditional finance. Jeremy shed light on how stablecoins, particularly USDC, are going to impact global financial systems, Circle's scalable business model, and the potential of blockchain technology in reshaping financial infrastructures. They wrap it up with insights into USDC's growth, market cap trends, and the implications of US regulations on stablecoins. If you’re interested in fintech and crypto, this is the one for you.

— Erika

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This Week in Startups

E2003: Alex and Tony discuss the platform's growth, financial model, and the impact of AI on content creation and platform quality. Tony highlights Medium's efforts in curation, geographic expansion, and scaling towards 10 million subscribers, while addressing challenges like AI-generated spam. They also dig into the future of AI in practical applications and the importance of niche markets for Medium's continued independence.

Startup Legal Basics: Becki DeGraw from Wilson Sonsini talks with Jason about fundraising trends, M&A slowdown, regulatory challenges, and proposed reforms. They also get into compliance costs, cybersecurity, and legal strategies for startups, including data policies.

E2002: Rahul Vohra and Jason discuss Superhuman's premium email experience, highlighting its onboarding strategy and customer feedback focus. Rahul introduces Superhuman 2.0 features, including multiplayer email and AI-driven tools. They dig into AI's impact on podcast production, productivity, and communication with live demos of Superhuman's new capabilities. They end the show with insights into AI's future role in email management and team productivity.

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