AI Recreates Folktales from Japan Narrators' Voices for Six-Language Exhibition
The alliance pairs AI voice recreation with a licensing model that manages how deceased narrators' voices are used, letting the classic series expand overseas while guarding against unauthorized generation.
Reporting from 1 source: ASCII.jp.
NTT West Japan's VOICENCE and Ai Kikaku Center announced an alliance to pass Folktales from Japan to next generations and overseas audiences. AI recreates the voices of narrators Eiko Ichihara and Fujio Tsuneda as official AI voices made with consent from their offices and families. The first project is multilingual digital signage at a Tokyo exhibition starting September 18.
The exhibition runs at Azabudai Hills Gallery Space until October 25 with free admission. The signage uses VOICENCE's cross-lingual synthesis technology, which reproduces the two narrators' characteristic tone and narrative emotion in another language rather than simply translating the content.
The voices are official AI voices produced with the agreement of Ichihara and Tsuneda's offices and bereaved families. The two companies say they aim to build a licensing model that manages the scope and purpose of use while protecting the deceased voices from unauthorized generation.
Both companies plan to continue expanding Folktales from Japan at home and abroad through AI voice multilingualization and personalized story experiences.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.