But when it comes to voicing content, the truth remains that AI lags behind human voice overs.
It’s not that AI VOs sound stilted or robotic. Those days are far behind us.
Yet most professionals would agree that even while an advanced AI voice can sound remarkably lifelike, it still can’t deliver the emotional authenticity and “special something” that human voice overs can.
You may wonder if that really matters? Surprisingly, as it turns out, it does.
Research consistently shows that, in marketing, human voice overs outperform AI in meaningful ways. So, let’s take a closer look at why.
Why Do Human Voice Overs Connect Emotionally Better Than AI Voices?
British Voice Actor John C.
Marketers have always understood that people don’t buy based solely on the information they receive, but on how that information makes them feel.
Details delivered in voices that vary in tone, pitch, and pace convey different emotions that we then respond to.
For instance, a deep, authoritative tone can convey confidence and expertise, like John C.’s expressive voiceover for Turkish Airlines below.
A high pitch can signal excitement, happiness, or, on the flipside, fear, while a soft, slow, and sultry voice over can imply intimacy and desirability.
With a human voice over, these elements are intuitively adjusted to match the sentiment at the core of a marketing message and so, elicit an emotional reaction from the audience.
AI, however, doesn’t possess these kinds of natural responses, which means the nuance of emotion is lost.
How Do Human Voice Overs Elicit Physiological Responses?
It’s not just about whether what we hear can make us laugh or cry, either.
To paraphrase American rockers Boston, effective voice overs bring “more than a feeling” to an audiobook, animation, or ad; Human voices, it seems, connect on a physiological as well as an emotional level.
Specifically, hearing a human voice engages the right hippocampus and the inferior frontal gyrus — areas linked to memory and empathy.
AI-generated voices, however, stimulate regions involved in error detection and attention control, suggesting a more analytical, less emotional response.
According to an experiment run by Emotisphere, participants listening to a mix of AI and human voice-overs were unable to consciously determine whether the phrases they heard were produced by a human or synthesized.
However, on a subconscious level, they consistently preferred the human voices whenever given a choice.
Human Voice Overs Prompt Better Recall
Every day, we are bombarded with information.
Digital devices, in particular, offer a range of routes for marketers to get their products and services in front of us.
But getting us to see their content is only half the battle. Having us remember it is the rest.
In marketing, the ‘rule of 7’ states that a person needs to engage with a marketing message at least seven times before it moves from short-term to long-term memory.
This is where human voice-overs consistently outperform AI.
In one study co-conducted by publication and data provider Voicebot.ai, it was discovered that information recall more than doubled from 14.3% to 32.5% when human voiceovers were used rather than synthetic ones.
In other words, audiences aren’t just enjoying human voices more — they’re actually remembering brand information better.
Why Robotic Voices Can Undermine Campaigns
There is no doubt that AI has come a long way, and as content consumers, we are more familiar with synthetic voices than ever before.
However, as the data indicates, using AI voiceovers can still be detrimental.
Despite the general acceptance of AI in our lives, people will always yearn for human connection.
Therefore, whether it’s narrating an audiobook or attempting to sell us a high-performance sports car in TV and online video ads, the less “real” and personal a voice sounds, the less convinced we’ll be.
A perceived lack of humanity can reduce our engagement levels and, more importantly, undermine our trust.
And here’s the funny thing about us humans and our consumerism — we’re fickle. Lose our trust, and you’ll be hard pressed to regain it any time soon.
In a recent three-year study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), 30% of participating companies had experienced a large-scale decline in trust.
Yet, only 2% were able to restore it in the months that immediately followed, and only 12 companies in total recovered and maintained that restored trust through to the end of the study.
So, while AI voiceovers might offer speed and efficiency, is it worth it if it causes some customers to view your brand with suspicion?
If the voice over in your campaign doesn’t resonate, then the message will fail to connect, and you’ll lose more trust than you’ll save in time.
Why take that chance?
Real Voices, Real Results
Hiring a professional voice actor isn’t just about checking the ‘real live human’ box either.
A seasoned voice actor will collaborate with you to capture the right tone, emotion, and energy, bringing your brand to life in a way that truly connects.
With their years of experience, they can also offer insights and solutions you might not have considered, helping to make your content even better than before.
In addition, if you decide to use the same voice artist over a series of campaigns, this consistency will help build brand recognition and a deeper trust with your audience.
Final Words
There’s no doubt that AI voice technology will continue to be developed and used, possibly to a point where it’ll be brought on board to enhance or work alongside human voice-overs.
But when your marketing goal is to create authentic and emotionally engaging content, the data is clear — human voices remain the better bet.
At Voice Crafters, we can offer you exceptional voice talent for all types of voiceover work.
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