Tech Friday: Some AI voice testing with NPR Editor Uri Berliner’s “Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust” article

Posted By on April 12, 2024

Who isn’t … or more appropriately wasn’t … fond of listening to the interesting and smooth-toned audio that was  part of National Public Radio (NPR) in the previous century. I spent an exorbitant amount of time in my car back then and listened to static-riddled politically conservative radio talk shows on AM radio and liberally slanted … but somewhat fair … NPR reporting and stories on the HQ-audio FM dial. The FP - Uri BerlingerBesides the better quality listening found on FM radio, I always felt it helped listening both perspectives when it came to the political news.  

Unfortunately over the years, the news segments being reported by NPR took a similar extreme slant, but from the political left. I accepted the slant from the political right on AM Talk Radio, but like many, was turned off by the woke slant of NPR. I questioned and harassed Congress why taxpayer funds were continuing to support this progressive “one point of view” radio? 

So I read with interest a piece in “The Free Press” by 25 year senior business editor Uri Berliner titled “Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust.”
 

ElevenLabs AI “Antonio” reading 10 minutes of
Uri Berliner’s “Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust”

As for the Tech Friday component, I wanted to retest the improving and impressive text to AI voice from ElevenLabs. Unfortunately the beta version that I’m using has size limitations, so I’ll share only the first portion of Uri’s article read by “Antoni” AI — still pretty impressive (see what Musk and Dimon are predicting). So start the article by listening and finish reading at yellow link above or the PDF version below. 

EDIT add: Testing Amazon’s Polly AI for the balance of the article. Give it a try even though the voice is different.
 

Amazon’s “Polly” AI reading final 16 minutes of
Uri Berliner’s “Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust”

PDF article copy

Comments

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
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