US First Lady Melania Trump recently warned about the risks of deepfakes and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Now she has used that technology to tell her own story—by releasing an audiobook written entirely in an AI-generated voice.
The 55-year-old wife of US President Donald Trump made the announcement on social media on Thursday, according to an AFP report. The seven-hour audiobook is called ‘Melania the AI Audiobook’, and is priced at $25.
In the black-and-white video accompanying the post, Melania’s face is made with computer graphics, and a voice that sounds like her can be heard in the background—’My story, my perspective, my truth’ is being said. It is not clear from the video whether the voice is real or completely created by AI. However, Melania clearly wrote in the post, “I am proud to present to you ‘Melania the AI Audiobook’. It is narrated by an AI version of my voice.”
She also said, “Let the future of publishing begin now.” The website says that the audiobook was created under her direct supervision and guidance. The book is planned to be translated into multiple languages by the end of this year.
Earlier, Melania released a print edition of her memoir with great fanfare last October. The collector’s edition, signed by her, was released on ‘premium art paper’. The price is estimated at $ 150. Just before the audiobook was released, President Trump and Melania signed a landmark law, which declared it a national crime to post ‘revenge pornography’ using AI or real video.
In March of this year, Melania campaigned for this law, called the ‘Take It Down Act’. This was her first solo initiative since Trump’s second term as president. At that time, she She was particularly vocal about deepfakes. Now, Melania Trump has sparked both new controversy and interest by using deepfakes as a means of representation.
Source: AFP