You can now have AI versions of Judy Garland or James Dean read the news to you.

I follow an account on X (formerly Twitter) called @LizaMinnelliOutlives. It’s not run by the icon herself but lists notable deaths or agreements. In an unexpected twist, the real Liza Minnelli now hears new words from her deceased mother, Judy Garland. The actress and singer has given ElevenLabs, an AI startup specializing in voice cloning, permission to recreate her mother’s voice for their new Reader App. Garland joins the “Iconic Voice Collection,” which includes James Dean, Burt Reynolds, and Sir Laurence Olivier, thanks to undisclosed deals with their estates.

These AI voices are exclusively available on the Reader App, where users can employ them for narrating e-books and other texts. “It’s exciting to see our mother’s voice available to countless millions who love her,” said Minnelli, representing the Garland Estate. “Through ElevenLabs’ spectacular technology, we believe this will attract new fans to Mama and thrill those who already cherish her unparalleled legacy.” A sample of Garland reading “The Wizard of Oz” can be found in ElevenLabs’ promotional video on YouTube—personally, I find it a bit eerie, but I can see the appeal.

ElevenLabs launched its Reader App in late June, allowing users to listen to any text on their phone, including messages, PDFs, and news articles. It’s currently available in English for iOS users in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. There is a waitlist for Android users, with a Google Play store launch expected in the coming weeks. ElevenLabs is also working on supporting all 29 languages in its Multilingual model, aiming for a global release soon.

For more details, check out the full article on Gagshub.