WASHINGTON: US First Lady Melania Trump has released a new audiobook — but it’s not her real voice doing the talking.
Instead, the US First Lady used artificial intelligence to create a version of her voice that tells the story.
The seven-hour book costs $25 and was announced by Melania on social media. She called it “my story, my perspective, the truth,” and said it was fully narrated by AI to sound like her.
The audiobook follows her earlier warning about the dangers of deepfakes, which use AI to create fake videos or audio.
The 55-year-old wife of President Donald Trump announced the release of the seven-hour recording on Thursday.
“My story, my perspective, the truth,” narrates a voice in the Slovenian-born former model’s distinctive accent, over a short black and white video featuring computer-generated graphics of her face.
Whether it is Melania herself speaking in the video, or her AI double, is not made clear.
She then writes in the same post: “I am honoured to bring you Melania – The AI Audiobook – narrated entirely using artificial intelligence in my own voice.
“Let the future of publishing begin.”
The website for the audiobook says the “AI-generated replica” of Melania Trump’s voice was “created under Mrs Trump’s direction and supervision.”
“Multiple” foreign language versions will be available later this year, it added.
Melania Trump released the physical edition of her memoir to great fanfare in October – with a signed collector’s edition printed on “premium art paper” priced at $150.
The release of the AI-narrated audiobook comes just days after she joined President Trump to sign a bill making it a federal crime to post “revenge porn” – whether real or generated using AI.
Melania Trump had campaigned for the Take It Down Act in March during her first solo event since her husband returned to power, speaking out against “malicious online content, like deepfakes.”
The First Lady has largely remained an elusive figure at the White House since her husband took the oath of office on January 20, spending limited time in Washington alongside her billionaire husband.
But that has not stopped her from taking on a handful of projects that carefully manage her image – and generate income too.
Alongside the AI audiobook, Melania is filming a documentary series with Amazon, under a contract reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars.
