Home Consumer Can’t Sleep? Listen to an A.I.-Generated Bedtime Story From Jimmy Stewart

Can’t Sleep? Listen to an A.I.-Generated Bedtime Story From Jimmy Stewart

Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life. Republic Pictures

You can’t get to sleep. You’re tossing and turning. You want someone to read you a nice, wholesome bedtime story. And you want that someone to be the actor Jimmy Stewart.

The sleep and meditation app Calm on Tuesday released a new story for premium users told by Mr. Stewart, the beloved actor who starred in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” But the voice in their ear lulling them to sleep is not from Mr. Stewart, who died in 1997. It is a version of his signature drawl generated by artificial intelligence.

“Well, hello. I’m James Stewart, but, well, you can call me Jimmy. Tonight I’m going to tell you a story,” the clone of Mr. Stewart’s voice begins, telling listeners to make themselves “nice and comfortable.”

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“It’s a heartwarming story of love, of loss, of hope and of joy,” the voice continues. “But most of all, it’s a wonderful sleep story.”

Click to listen: Calm App clip of Jimmy Stewart using A.I.

The app is known for its “Sleep Stories” — tales read by celebrities including Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey and Harry Styles to help users drift off to sleep. But for its Stewart story, it enlisted the help of Respeecher, a company based in Ukraine that uses A.I. technology to produce synthetic speech and clone voices.

The story, written by Calm’s creative team, is the first of its celebrity narrations to use an A.I.-generated voice, a spokeswoman for the app said on Tuesday, adding that the company collaborated closely with the actor’s estate on the project. “Stewart is one of the most beloved actors in history, with a voice that is heartwarming to many,” the spokeswoman said in an email.

Respeecher said that CMG Worldwide, the company that manages Mr. Stewart’s licensing, approved the project. CMG said in a statement: “The ability to replicate and integrate the unique voices of artists into contemporary works introduces a dynamic fusion of tradition and innovation.”

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