Since it was unleashed in late January 2021, TikTok's Text-to-Speech feature has been at the center of memes and trends. From legit narrations of stories to getting the AI voice to say ridiculous (and sometimes nasty) things, the add-on immediately became a staple no matter what "side" you were on. Fast forward to May 2021 and we've suddenly been graced with a vocal face-lift.
Text-to-Speech has an entirely new sound! She's easier to understand, a bit more natural sounding, and -- depending on the sentence -- a little bit sassy. But the sudden change wasn't just for fun. While the reason for the update hasn't been publicly addressed yet, rumor has it TikTok's parent company ByteDance used the original voice actor's voice without permission. Professional voice actor Beverly Standing sued the company after she realized her voice was being used on the app when friends and family started sending her TikToks.
Legal troubles aside, the reaction to the new phantom voice is everything we want and more. I LIVE!!