Christian App Company Launches First-ever Artificial Intelligence Audio Bible
Written by Heartsong Live on 2nd July 2020
Soultime, a Christian app known for offering spoken Christian meditations on subjects such as fear, anxiety and sleep has launched the world’s first audio bible read in its entirety by an artificial intelligence voice
The makers of the app released a statement saying:
“Soultime evaluated a range of text-to-speech platforms but found Google’s Wavenet the most natural sounding. However, because the Bible text is extremely complex, Soultime had to work hard to modify the basic reading to create something that both sounded natural and was truly enjoyable to listen to.
“AI readings have some great advantages. Having developed the initial version, further versions can be easily produced in different accents, genders or languages. Also as text-to-speech voices improve over time, the readings can be easily updated.
“There were a lot of teething problems in development. One of the most comical issues was with the most famous of all Psalms, Psalm 23. Wavenet for some reason couldn’t pronounce “for his name’s sake” properly and insisted on saying “for his name’s saké” – as in the Japanese alcoholic spirit. Maybe it tells you something about how the Silicon Valley elite spend their time!”
Founded in 2018 by former Hedge Fund Manager, Mark Wagner, Soultime is on a mission to help people better connect with themselves, others and God.
Endorsed by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and British comedian, Miranda Hart, the app includes a daily “mood check” and features calming music and voices who guide users through over 250 themed meditations. Meditations include: Hope in hard times, hope in the storm and being kind to yourself
