Better Than Nothing? Exploring the Limitations of AI-Narrated Audiobooks from a Disabled Person’s Perspective

Since Apple launched its AI narrator program, the net has been abuzz debating what is successful store for the aboriginal of audiobooks. Is this the extremity for audiobook narrators? Is this a breakthrough successful accessibility for disabled people? How bash we equilibrium the two? Even though I’ve work much articles astir AI audiobook narration than I tin count, I haven’t seen many, if any, outlets asking disabled radical who really usage assistive exertion to work what we deliberation of this development. As idiosyncratic who uses audiobooks and surface readers to work text, I rapidly grew frustrated by Apple’s insistence that AI narration was 100% a large thing. While immoderate commentators hedged their bets, the prevailing constituent of presumption seemed to beryllium that for disabled people, AI narration is amended than nothing.

Audiobooks are, and volition ever be, archetypal and foremost an accessibility tool, which has present turned into an unthinkable artform. Audiobooks are not conscionable a sum of their parts oregon a subordinate to beryllium made. Audiobook narrators agree. In an nonfiction for Publisher’s Weekly, histrion and narrator Emily Lawrence, co-founder of the Professional Audiobook Narrators Association (PANA) and president of its committee of directors says, “It’s precise casual to trim this contented to dollars and cents, but it’s precise analyzable and nuanced.”

Audiobooks correspond the intersection of respective communities, a superb collaboration betwixt cultures and artforms. The literate qualities of the substance and the show of the narrator are built connected a instauration created by disabled radical successful our efforts to person equitable access.

When I archetypal thought astir penning astir AI narration, I wasn’t definite I could bash it. I felt angry, disappointed, and truthful discouraged by the treatment of AI audiobook narrators. And, honestly, I’m bushed of being told that I should beryllium grateful for “better than nothing.” I’m exhausted by nondisabled radical shrugging disconnected the voices of disabled radical pointing retired the issues with AI narration for audiobooks. And I’m eternally frustrated astatine seeing articles discussing AI narrators without a azygous disabled idiosyncratic quoted oregon adjacent mentioned. 

That’s the happening though, isn’t it? For truthful galore nondisabled people, it’s hard to ideate that disabled radical person immoderate culture, immoderate artform, that has stemmed from our ain disabilities and usage of accessibility aids. To truthful galore nondisabled people, disabled radical are conscionable thing to beryllium pitied. How could we person civilization oregon art? Are our lives truly worthy celebrating? 

But they miss the small miss who excitedly shows disconnected her pinkish wheelchair oregon glittery crutches. They don’t spot the agelong past of the Deaf people’s vibrant communities oregon acheronian wit of the chronically sick turned into a drama show. They don’t spot disabled civilization due to the fact that they won’t halt looking done the lenses of their ain ableism. And truthful they neglect to spot audiobooks for what they fundamentally are, a beauteous hold of disablement civilization that immoderate listener tin enjoy.

AI narration could beryllium utile successful different ways. From my position arsenic idiosyncratic who already uses Apple’s surface scholar app connected my iPhone, I deliberation that utilizing AI narration exertion to make a amended surface scholar could payment disabled people. Because the 1 presently disposable often glitches and stumbles its mode crossed societal media and idiosyncratic emails, often making it easier for maine to conscionable manus my telephone to idiosyncratic adjacent and ask, “Can you conscionable work this to me?” But let’s not unreal that AI speechmaking substance arsenic a surface scholar is the aforesaid happening arsenic an audiobook. Understanding this quality moves america towards a much equitable aboriginal for disabled radical and respect for the artform that audiobook narrators make with their performances.

“Better than nothing” is not equitable access. For disabled radical to genuinely person the entree to books that we deserve, the audiobooks disposable shouldn’t beryllium stripped of each of the humanity that narrators bring to their performances. Since the quality broke astir Apple’s caller AI narration program, I’ve seen truthful galore comments astir however astir radical can’t archer the quality betwixt an AI and a quality performance. But those of america who usage audiobooks regularly arsenic an assistive exertion aren’t “most people.” We CAN archer the difference. And, actually, a batch of different kinds of listeners tin archer a quality too. On his TikTok, writer and narrator Travis Baldree gave a comparison of an AI trained connected his dependable and his ain performance. It’s casual to perceive a quality successful the AI versus his ain narration. Baldree brings specified emotion, specified beingness and nuance to his show that the AI exertion conscionable can’t match.

Perhaps I should effort to beryllium much nonsubjective erstwhile discussing AI audiobook narration. But honestly, I can’t. I person emotions, and that’s portion of what makes maine human. And it’s the aforesaid crushed wherefore AI narrators can’t recognize the emotion down the text. For me, determination are fewer things much beauteous than erstwhile a quality audiobook narrator provides maine with entree to a publication I privation to read. It’s similar they’re sitting down adjacent to maine and saying, “Oh, you can’t work this? No worries. Here, fto maine work it to you.” That’s equitable access.