As artificial intelligence continues to redefine various industries, AI narrated audiobooks stand at the forefront of developing revolutionizing the audio-entertainment segment. This success story delves into how a significant player in the mobile device and audio entertainment industry leveraged structure data to create an enriching audiobook experience reminiscent of human narration and opening new frontiers in accessibility and affordability.

The customer

Our customer operates at the intersection of the mobile device and audio-entertainment industry, seeking high-quality, innovative solutions to deliver a superior audio narration experience. They’re particularly interested in AI narrated audiobooks, seeing it as a high-quality, affordable, intuitive device solution. This focus enables our client to meet their user base’s changing demands, helping them stay competitive in the vibrant landscape of device technology and audio entertainment.

The context

Our customer, already a relevant content producer in the audiobook industry, sought to enhance the AI narrated audiobooks experience. They wanted to increase audiobook accessibility and have a cost-effective means to convert backlist and boutique titles to audio. These titles couldn’t support full-scale production yet still required a high-quality AI audiobook narration to ensure a pleasing listening experience. They aimed to create a catalog of audiobooks narrated using Text-To-Speech (TTS) voices that were synthetically created. Being well aware of the importance of the quality of narration and how the listener’s connection with the narrator significantly impacts the enjoyment of an audiobook, our customer approached us seeking assistance in ensuring that their AI narrators could provide an experience that is closer to that of human narrators. They requested an evaluation process to assess the AI voices’ naturalness, fluency, pronunciation, and overall performance, aiming to create a more engaging and immersive listening experience for their audience.

They wanted to increase audiobook accessibility and have a cost-effective means to convert backlist and boutique titles to audio.

The solution

To tackle this challenge, we developed a comprehensive evaluation process designed to help improve AI narrated audiobooks performance. Through rigorous testing methodologies, we focused on refining the AI voices to achieve a higher level of authenticity and connection.

1. MOS Evaluation

We conducted extensive Mean Opinion Score (MOS) evaluations for our AI audiobook narration, gathering feedback from a diverse group of listeners. This valuable input provided insights into how the AI narrators were perceived regarding naturalness, clarity, and overall satisfaction.

2. A/B Testing

To further bridge the gap between AI and human narrators, we implemented A/B testing for AI audiobook narration. This approach enabled us to identify areas where the AI narrators fell short and make targeted improvements to enhance their performance. By leveraging the strengths of the AI narrators and addressing their limitations, we worked towards closing the gap and delivering an engaging audiobook experience.

3. Pronunciation Validation Techniques:

Accurate pronunciation is a vital aspect of AI audiobook narration. We employed robust validation techniques to ensure the AI narrators delivered precise and consistent pronunciations. By meticulously addressing pronunciation challenges, including homographs, we helped improve the overall polish and professionalism of the AI-narrated audiobooks.

The automated pipeline used our REST APIs, an application programming interface, for evaluation of experience. This allowed our customer to frequently submit the audio recordings in batches at their discretion. The same would instantly notify our project managers and aid in launching the audio listening jobs to participants. The procedure was transparent and streamlined, thanks to our public REST API. On any given day, we were able to handle tens of thousands of audio files.

Our customer was successful in launching a library of books with AI narration thanks to the assistance of our trained and qualified annotators, effective REST APIs, ethical AI practices, such as fair pay, transparency and consent, and efficient quality management methods.

Are you looking to refine or expand your AI audiobook narration products in the audio market? Do you want to get benefitted from shorter time-to-market advantages by accelerating your audio narration projects by leveraging expert annotators and best evaluation methods?

Partner with us today and benefit from our specialized benchmarking and evaluation services for your AI audiobook narration models. Contact us now!