Co-Intelligence Part 4: I cloned my voice! Listen (or read about it)!

This is a different type of post this week. I’m not writing a traditional blog that compliments the podcast. Instead, I’m just including the raw transcript I fed ElevenLabs to create a podcast episode using my voice clone. This is partly because I want to get back to my vacation, but also because I want to share with you what I did to create this. If you have time, you can listen to the podcast version to hear my voice clone! I can’t promise it’s good. Really, parts of it are really bad but that was likely me not knowing what I was doing and choosing life over obsessing over this![cheerful, slightly breathless] Hey everybody! Welcome back to Confessions of a Facilitation Artist. I'm your host, Monica Joy Krol, coming to you live from the lakeside at 5:54 a.m. in Branchport, New York. [pause] Seriously, birds chirping, water lapping – this is the real magic no AI can replicate![cheerful] Today’s episode is a meta-experiment: We’re diving into Chapter 4 of Ethan Mollick’s book Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI. Today we’re examining "AI as a Human" – while using AI voice cloning to create this episode. [playful whisper] Yes, you’re hearing my clone right now! Given that I am not at home and my sound equipment is lacking, I figured today’s topic was the perfect opportunity to try voice cloning. [thoughtful, cheerful] Mollick explores decades of human-like AI experiments – from ELIZA to Tay. [pause] That Turing Test concept? Where machines fool humans into thinking they’re real? I admit, I’m even a little terrified as I experiment with voice cloning to create this podcast. It’s fascinating but... unnerving. Like an episode of Black Mirror becoming reality. [leaning in, conspiratorial tone] Let me help you evaluate why it hits close to home: First, Voice cloning is already here. Tools like ElevenLabs and Podcastle can mirror your tone well, possibly perfectly with the right inputs and premium package. Second, digital doubles exist – imagine your AI twin attending meetings! I have seen people experimenting with these in LinkedIn posts and it terrifies me…but intrigues me at the same time. [thoughtful, cheerful] So how’d I create this episode? Here’s the behind-the-scenes: I started with a raw recording: I rambled lakeside into my phone – birds and all while my kids and husband were still asleep! I then went into Script Generation mode: I fed that audio into Perplexity AI to structure these thoughts, and also learned how to create a script that my ElevenLabs voice clone would use. Finally, I experimented with Voice Cloning: I used ElevenLabs to clone my voice (not the $99 tier – the $5 plan works!) However, I am very curious about the quality that the $99 would create! [emphatic, with a chuckle] Pro Tip: For natural cadence, I asked Perplexity Pro (my LLM of choice) to research and populate these cues to the script for breath-like breaks, perky emphasis and even introspective moments. [sincere, warm tone] Full transparency? I’d never fully outsource this podcast to AI. Why? Authenticity matters most to me: My stumbles and "ums" make me human. I also consider the Ethical guardrails I have: Cloning should enhance – not replace – connection. And of course, the joy factor: [laughs] While recording lakeside beats a studio any day, I enjoy the journey of imperfection from my home office. [practical, leaning forward] But here’s where I believe cloning shines - it shines in use cases like Polishing recorded presentations, Scaling content without re-recording, and Helping nervous speakers sound confident. For Example, I make a lot of onboarding and training videos. The content is important, but the authentic delivery is less important. For me this would be an ideal use case for using a voice clone. [reflective, cheerful] Well, this was a short episode, but like I said, I am on vacation. If this voice cloning blew your mind? Good! Next week, we explore "AI as a Creative" – my favorite chapter. Until then: Stay curious, and please, stay human!P.S. I actually don’t think this was good. Experimentation with tools takes time, and I’m on vacation so I decide to just give you the half-ass experimentation for now. I need to go for a swim! I think if I knew more about what I was doing, I could have rocked this…but I’m not willing to put in the time to make that happen! Get full access to Confessions of a Creative Leader at creativeleaderconfessions.substack.com/subscribe