Melania Trump recently unveiled an audiobook version of her memoir narrated in her own voice — but surprisingly, she isn’t the one doing the narration. Instead, the audiobook is voiced entirely by artificial intelligence, mimicking her tone and style. “I am honored to present Melania – The AI Audiobook – narrated fully using AI in my own voice,” she announced, adding, “Let the future of publishing begin.”
While Melania isn’t the first to experiment with AI-driven voice technology, her high-profile endorsement brings this innovation into sharper focus. It signals a significant shift in how AI could soon permeate the entire media landscape — from news articles and podcasts to video content and television shows. This technological wave raises big questions about the future of media jobs and the nature of creative work.
Alex Connock, a senior fellow in management practice at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, warns against simplistic assumptions. “It’s too reductive to say this will definitely lead to massive job losses,” he explains. “But it’s equally unrealistic to expect no changes at all in how employment evolves.”
Not quite a Hollywood blockbuster yet
The audiobook is narrated by an AI-generated voice created under Melania Trump’s direct guidance, as noted on her website. Voice synthesis technology is becoming increasingly common, thanks to advances from companies like Google and ElevenLabs — the latter provided the AI voice for Trump’s audiobook. These tools transform written text into podcast-style audio that sounds remarkably natural.
Trump’s announcement shines a spotlight on AI’s growing role in media production. Clay Shirky, NYU’s vice provost for AI and technology in education, sees this as a milestone rather than a sudden upheaval. “I don’t think we’re on the brink of immediately replacing voiceover artists,” he says. “This will be a gradual shift, but it marks a significant turning point.”
This development coincides with a surge of AI-powered content creation tools from tech giants. Just as Trump revealed her audiobook, Google launched an advanced video generation model capable of producing realistic dialogue that matches visual scenes. Late last year, OpenAI’s video tool Sora became so popular it had to temporarily halt new users due to demand. Earlier this year, OpenAI’s image generator went viral for creating pictures mimicking the style of Studio Ghibli animation.
However, AI-generated feature films aren’t imminent. Shirky notes that current technology excels at short-form video content suited for social media but isn’t yet ready to replace traditional movies or TV shows. Instead, Connock sees TV networks and producers exploring how to weave AI into their existing productions. He’s been meeting frequently with industry professionals eager to understand AI’s potential — a stark contrast to last year’s skepticism.
Producers are particularly interested in creating AI avatars of TV personalities, allowing audiences to interact with digital versions of their favorite hosts during live shows. This reflects the pressure on traditional TV to compete with the dynamic and interactive world of social media creators. “The traditional TV economy has realized that to compete, it needs to match social media’s ability to deploy cutting-edge tools,” Connock says.
Oren Etzioni, former CEO of the Allen Institute for AI, envisions a future where audiences can engage directly with characters or authors through AI. “Imagine being able to actually talk to Melania Trump about a chapter in her book,” he told CNN. “That’s coming soon — maybe not with her, but definitely with books in general.”
AI’s impact on media jobs
Melania Trump’s AI audiobook launch arrives amid growing concerns about AI’s effect on employment. As AI improves at generating podcasts, writing books, and coding, questions mount about which jobs it might replace. The World Economic Forum’s recent Future of Jobs report found that 41% of employers expect workforce reductions as generative AI takes on more tasks. Aneesh Raman, LinkedIn’s chief economic opportunity officer, expressed worries about AI displacing entry-level positions.
In media, these fears have led to real-world actions. Film and TV writers staged a 146-day strike in 2023 partly to stop AI from replacing their creative work. The resulting agreement explicitly prohibits AI from writing or rewriting literary material.
Experts caution that the impact of AI on jobs won’t be uniform. Voiceover work could be affected sooner, but roles demanding nuanced judgment, deep investigation, and human empathy—like investigative journalism—will remain difficult to automate.
“If I’m an investigative journalist who builds trust and unravels complex stories, that’s not easily replaced by AI,” Shirky explains.
Rather than wholesale job cuts, companies may adapt by shifting their hiring strategies. Instead of teams made up entirely of traditional arts graduates, Connock suggests a new blend will emerge: “You might see a development department with one arts graduate, one coder, and one academic researcher — all working together with AI.”
This hybrid approach reflects a future where human creativity and AI technology complement each other, rather than compete, reshaping how media content is made and who makes it.