What is ‘Uberduck.AI’? TikTok text-to-speech gets viral hack

TikTok’s latest changes to the text-to-speech feature has creators on the app outraged, but some have decided a new version of the feature is even better than the original.

TikTokers have made their feelings known about the decision to change the popular text-to-speech feature to sound less like a monotone robot and more like an extremely enthusiastic woman, totally changing the subtle comedic effects that the feature originally gave.

This is because of a lawsuit between ByteDance – the creators of TikTok – and professional voice actor Beverly Standing. Standing sued ByteDance in mid-May for using her voice in the text-to-speech setting without permission.

@nickolas_rayTHE WAY SHE SAYS D!E PLZ😭♬ Castaways – The Backyardigans

The voice actor’s lawsuit states that she was hired to do work in 2018 for the state-backed Chinese Institute of Acoustics research body to use in translations and that TikTok has used them without paying her, and it has caused damage.

Despite the disappointment in the new voice, users have instead found a feature that totally transforms the text-to-speech voice into something much funnier.

Uberduck.AI is a tool that allows you to make any text sound like it’s been read by a celebrity or fictional character, and the results are incredible.

@millin.dollah.puthy😭🚶🏻‍♀️ #ConjuringHorror #fyp #lgbtq #eminem ♬ original sound – kaylie

There are a huge number of options for what kind of voice you can use including a number of different cartoon voices from shows such as Rick & Morty or South Park, politicians such as John F. Kennedy, or rappers such as Eminem and Kanye West.

The tool even allows you to use the voices of famous YouTubers like Markiplier and Jacksepticeye.

If you join the Discord server for the tool, you can also find instructions for how to upload another voice of your choice or get help from others who know how to.

How to use Uberduck.AI

Type Uberduck.ai into your browser.

Select a type of voice, followed by the name of the person or character.

Type in any text you’d like to convert to speech and hit enter.

Listen back to the bizarre sound of a celebrity or character saying anything you want.

Download the MP3 to use in your videos.

The tool may have many more voices to choose from in the future, and it could well be the future of TikTok videos as we know it.

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