SiriusXM Media has signed a multi-year agreement with artificial intelligence startup Narrativ to use voice replication technology in its audio ads, the company announced Tuesday at the Cannes Lions festival.
The deal enables the satellite and online audio platform to replicate voice actors’ performances and produce localized ad campaigns at scale—a move aimed at reducing production costs and turnaround times, according to Lizzie Collins, senior vice president of B2B marketing and ad innovation, SiriusXM Media.
As part of the deal, SiriusXM Media plans to integrate Narrativ’s voice technology into its self-service creative platform, AdMaker, allowing advertisers to generate audio ads with support from in-house agency Studio Resonate. The agency works with over 200 voice actors.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
While audio accounts for 25% of time spent with media, it sees just 8% of ad investment, according to WARC’s 2024 report. One key barrier, Collins said, is the creative lift required to produce a range of audio assets, such as variations in voice, message, and creative to reach different audiences.
“A partnership like this can help us create scale and bring in new advertisers,” she said.
Previously, brands like Progressive have leveraged AI-powered audio ads to deliver more targeted messaging, reporting a 197% increase in quote requests.
However, the relationship between AI and the creative industry has been contentious in recent years, as artists raise concerns about their voices and likenesses being replicated without consent or compensation. In 2023, SAG-AFTRA, the union representing 160,000 film and television actors, went on strike after contract negotiations with studios broke down, with AI at the center of the dispute. The union also called a strike against video game companies over similar issues, citing demands for stronger protections and compensation around AI voice and image use.
Opt-in voice replication with creator control
Narrativ, which has signed an agreement with SAG-AFTRA to protect and monetize union talent voice replicas, requires voice actors to actively opt in before their voices can be replicated within ads, according to Benjamin Gottdiener, Narrativ’s co-founder.
