AI-Generated Voice of James Stewart Being Used for a New Bedtime Story
Legendary actor James (Jimmy) Stewart, best known for films such as It’s a Wonderful Life and Vertigo, died in 1997. During his lifetime, he was not too keen on new technology and was even against colorizing his old films. Would he be happy with the recent news that his voice is being AI-generated on the Calm app? Likely not, but luckily for fans who loved his voice, it is already available to listen to. Consent was given by his family and estate to generate his voice for a new bedtime story, exclusively available on the Calm sleep and meditation app.
Perhaps he would be okay with the change in technology as one of his daughters, Kelly Stewart Harcourt, shared, “We are excited for our dad to be the voice of Calm’s latest Sleep Story. It’s amazing what technology can do and wonderful to see Dad’s legacy live on this holiday season in new ways, like helping people find restful sleep and sweet dreams.”
The story, called “It’s a Wonderful Sleep Story,” was inspired by his famous Christmas film. In the story’s intro, the AI-generated voice of Stewart begins, “Well, hello. I’m James Stewart. But, well, you can call me Jimmy. Tonight, I’m going to tell you a story. It’s a heartwarming story of love, of loss, of hope and of joy. But most of all, it’s a wonderful sleep story.” The story was written by the Calm team with help from the company Respeecher, who used a voice actor combined with AI technology to recreate Stewart’s voice. They aimed to do so with respect and hope it will be a way to pay tribute to Stewart’s career.
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The story is available for subscribers of Calm Premium, which costs $69.99 per year. Calm offers other sleep stories by many actors who are still alive as well including Jennifer Garner, Nick Offerman, Idris Elba, Lucy Liu, and more. Check out a preview below and then share your thoughts with us!
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December 2022
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