Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine have partnered with AI audio company ElevenLabs to generate virtual AI versions of their voices.
McConaughey has invested an undisclosed sum in the New York-based AI company, with which he has collaborated since 2022. “Since our first conversation, I’ve been impressed by how the ElevenLabs team has taken the magic of the core technology and turned it into products that creators, enterprises and storytellers use daily,” he said in a Tuesday statement.
The actor will be using the company’s technology to generate a Spanish-language version of his “Lyrics of Livin’” newsletter. “I launched my newsletter, ‘Lyrics of Livin’,’ as a way to share stories and ideas in my own voice with those who want to listen,” the Oscar winner explained. “Now, thanks to ElevenLabs, ‘Lyrics of Livin’’ is expanding with a Spanish-language edition, allowing us to reach and connect with even more people.”
“To everyone building with voice technology: keep going,” McConaughey concluded. “You’re helping create a future where we can look up from our screens and connect through something as timeless as humanity itself — our voices.”
Caine, meanwhile, has added his voice to ElevenLabs’ Iconic Voice Marketplace, which allows interested parties to request approval to use the platform’s voices for their respective projects. Some of the other noteworthy figures featured on the IVM include Judy Garland, John Wayne, Laurence Olivier, Liza Minelli, Lana Turner, Maya Angelou, Burt Reynolds and Babe Ruth.
The marketplace does not give its users blanket access to the voices available, though. Instead, it is a two-way platform that connects interested parties with each voice’s rights holder. From there, the two sides can discuss how the voice in question will be used. Once an agreement has been made, ElevenLabs’ technology is then used to finalize the licensing deal.
ElevenLabs says the marketplace “solves a key ethical challenge in AI-driven media creation by enabling the ethical sourcing and licensing of some of the world’s most recognizable voices.”
“For years, I’ve lent my voice to stories that moved people — tales of courage, of wit, of the human spirit. Now, I’m helping others find theirs,” Caine said in his own statement Tuesday. “With ElevenLabs, we can preserve and share voices — not just mine, but anyone’s. ElevenLabs is at the very forefront of technology, using innovation not to replace humanity, but to celebrate it.”
“ElevenLabs gives everyone the tools to be heard,” he continued. “It’s not about replacing voices; it’s about amplifying them, opening doors for new storytellers everywhere. I’ve spent a lifetime telling stories. ElevenLabs will help the next generation tell theirs.”
Caine and McConaughey’s partnerships with ElevenLabs come at a time when AI tech companies are being hit with lawsuits from individuals, companies and Hollywood studios over consent and copyright concerns. For his part, McConaughey is set to release the first Spanish-language, AI-generated edition of his newsletter on Friday.
