ElevenLabs Gives Free AI Voices to People Who Lost Theirs
This could help thousands speak or sing again — at no cost.
ElevenLabs, a company that makes AI-generated voices, announced a major expansion of its free voice restoration program at its New York Summit. The program, called 1 Million Voices, gives people with permanent voice loss free access to technology that recreates their voice from old recordings. So far, it has helped more than 11,000 people with conditions like ALS, head and neck cancer, and stroke speak again in a voice that sounds like their own. The company aims to restore one million voices, a commitment worth $1 billion in free services.
Now, the program is expanding beyond speech to song. People who have lost their singing voice can use ElevenMusic, the company's AI music tool, for free to write and release music in their own voice. At the summit, two recipients performed: Greg Kellner, a music educator who lost his singing voice to brain cancer, and Abdi Omar, who has cerebral palsy and never had a spoken voice. Both used AI to create their voices and performed new songs on stage. The program is launching with Songwriters of North America to verify eligibility and distribute access.
ElevenLabs also announced new partnerships to reach more people. NYU Langone Health, a leading medical center, will offer the voice restoration program directly to patients through its rehabilitation services. And Wounded Warrior Project, a major veterans service organization, will explore how voice AI can help veterans with permanent voice loss, blindness, or low vision maintain communication and independence. The partnership launched on Veterans Day with an educational workshop for the organization's staff.
The impact is deeply personal. For people who have lost their voice, being able to speak or sing again in a voice that sounds like their own is about more than just communication—it's about identity and connection. As Gabi Leibowitz, Head of Impact at ElevenLabs, said, 'Voice restoration has always been about more than getting basic needs met. It's about being truly heard, in all the ways that make us human.'
- ElevenLabs offers free AI voice restoration to people with permanent voice loss, already helping over 11,000 people.
- The program now includes free access to ElevenMusic, so artists who lost their singing voice can create music again.
- New partners like NYU Langone Health and Wounded Warrior Project will help reach more patients and veterans.
Why It Matters
This gives a voice back to thousands, restoring identity and connection for people with severe conditions.