Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor It’s a wonderful… robot? An AI-generated voice of Jimmy Stewart, the legendary Hollywood actor who died in 1997, reads a new bedtime story on the Calm sleep and meditation app.
The voice of Stewart, who starred in films including “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Vertigo” and “Rear Window,” was recreated for the Calm story using AI voice-cloning technology.
The project has the consent of Stewart’s family and his estate (managed by CMG Worldwide). The AI-generated “It’s a Wonderful Sleep Story,” which Calm bills as “a heartwarming new holiday tale,” premieres exclusively on the app Dec.
5. It will be available to subscribers of Calm Premium, which costs $69.99 per year. “Well, hello. I’m James Stewart. But, well, you can call me Jimmy,” the AI-generated voice of Stewart says in the story’s intro. “Tonight, I’m going to tell you a story.
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