First Lady Melania Trump released her recently published memoir “Melania” as an audiobook that will be available in multiple languages — narrated by an AI-generated replica of her voice.
Trump worked with startup ElevenLabs, an AI audio research and technology company, to render a version of her “official AI voice,” with the audiobook available exclusively in the ElevenReader app. The audiobook, which costs $25, is available starting May 22 in English; it will be available soon in additional languages including Spanish, Portuguese and Hindi.
“I am honored to bring you Melania – The AI Audiobook – narrated entirely using artificial intelligence in my own voice,” she wrote in a post Thursday on X. “Let the future of publishing begin.”
“Melania” joins the lineup thousands of audiobooks in the ElevenReader app, available for iOS and Android. ElevenReader features works by Dr. Maya Angelou, Deepak Chopra, Arianna Huffington and Richard Feynman, “all available with AI narration in their distinctive voices,” according to the company. In addition, the app lets users choose to listen to books and other text content in the voices of deceased celebrities, including Judy Garland, Sir Laurence Olivier, John Wayne and Burt Reynolds. ElevenLabs also has worked with Sylvester Stallone and the estate of the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia.
New York-based ElevenLabs, founded in 2022, has raised $281 million in funding to date with a valuation of $3.3 billion, according to the company.
According to Skyhorse Publishing, “Melania” is “a compelling and inspirational memoir that offers a glimpse into the life of a remarkable woman who has navigated challenges with grace and determination.” In the book, she writes about her Slovenian childhood, the pivotal moments that led her to the world of high fashion in Europe and New York, and “the serendipitous meeting with Donald Trump, a chance encounter that forever changed the course of her life,” per the publisher.