Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of Jerry GarciaIt is death. But a new AI initiative, and the programs it could spawn, aims to keep the Grateful death the presence of the leader alive.

This summer, ElevenLabs, a two-year-old software company known for its advanced and realistic voice AI tools, announced a free app that lets fans of Judy Garland, Maya Angelou, Burt Reynolds, James Dean and Sir Laurence Olivier to listen to AI-recreated versions of their voices reading books, articles, poems and other content. As of this week, Garcia became the newest — and first music-connected member — of what the company calls its “Iconic Voices” program.

With ElevenLabs’ Reader app, Deadheads can listen to an AI-generated version of Garcia’s voice read back to them, in 32 different languages ​​to boot. (Imagine Garcia wading into, say, Tom Wolfe’s office.) The Kool-Aid Electrical Acid Test? Or a Ken Kesey novel?) “We felt like he represented a certain era and an era of a certain type of music, and the sound of his voice is distinctive and different from what we already had on the platform “, explains Dustin Blank, head of partnerships at ElevenLabs. “I think it adds a deeper layer to certain types of texts.”

According to Tina Xavie, whose Xavie Agency works with the Garcia estate (among others) on branding and licensing projects, the AI ​​project is a natural extension of Garcia’s appeal. “Jerry loved connecting with his fans,” she says. “It’s a gift to his fans, a chance to hear his voice and feel connected to him.” But like Blank, she also sees it as a way to introduce Garcia to anyone born after the singer-guitarist’s death. “We have noticed a strong interest in AI among younger generations,” emphasizes Xavier. “To connect Jerry’s legacy to this demographic, we are leveraging AI technology to make his voice accessible. By using his voice to read a book or send a personal message, we hope to introduce him to a new generation of fans.

When ElevenLabs first contacted the Garcia estate, Blank admits that the novelty of AI technology required some explaining and convincing. “They had to understand what we were trying to achieve and what kind of safeguards were in place,” he says.

“Although we weren’t too worried, we were cautious about the risk of misuse of the technology,” says Xavier. “We wanted to ensure that Jerry’s voice was not used to generate content that was inconsistent with his character or beliefs, or that could harm fans.” Blank says the company has a “profanity filter and a filter where you can’t generate text that could cause self-harm or put a child in danger.” Additionally, content can only be streamed.

According to Xavie, everyone in the Garcia family agreed to the deal, but the Jerry Garcia Foundation, led by Garcia’s youngest daughter Keelin, spearheaded the project. “My father was a pioneering artist who embraced innovative audio and visual technologies,” Keelin Garcia said in a statement. “Jerry was a visionary, an adventurer and a lover of technology,” adds Xavie, “and ElevenLabs has the best text-to-speech technology, setting the standard for AI talent.”

Blank says rendering Garcia’s voice for the app went through 30 different iterations before the company felt it had nailed it. But Blank clarifies that the goal was not to give anyone the impression that Garcia himself was reading the words. “We are very clear that these are AI narrators intended to add a different or unique experience to that content,” he says. “We want people to enjoy content that looks like the person, or is a recreated person, but is not them. There’s a difference there, just like when Jerry’s face is on a T-shirt, you don’t want people to think it’s actually him on the T-shirt.

When the Garcia voice tool was announced this week, the Garcia Foundation hinted that it could be used for audio art or for narrated documentaries. Without being specific, Xavier believes that the potential is as limitless as a particularly long “Dark Star”. She cites “creating immersive concert experiences, enabling virtual performances, creating interactive fan experiences, and even facilitating virtual meet-and-greets at charity events, which the Foundation often does.”

Given the passion of Deadheads, it is not surprising that this community’s reaction to AI news has varied between open curiosity and vigorous skepticism. “People have different points of view,” says Blank. “They can vote whether they like it or not with their button. No one is forcing anyone to listen to it. But for those who enjoy it and want to get more involved, it’s there for them.

“I respect the opinions of all Deadheads,” says Xavier. “As a sales agent, it is my job to be skeptical and consider all angles for Jerry’s sake. I believe we all share a deep love for Jerry and his impact on rock & roll. Although we may not agree on everything, I hope we can unite in our appreciation for his legacy. If you find this AI program unsuitable, stay tuned, as we are passionate about creating programs that honor Jerry and bring joy to fans.