Alice Harty lost her voice to cancer, but artificial intelligence helped her get it back. Days before surgery to remove her larynx, the 39-year-old worked with a speech-language pathologist to create a digital clone of her voice using just three minutes of pre-surgery recordings. Now, when she types on her phone, a speaker responds in her own voice, allowing her to communicate naturally with family, friends, and colleagues.

What Is AI Voice Cloning and How Does It Work?

Voice cloning uses artificial intelligence to create a digital replica of a person's voice from audio samples. Harty's voice clone was generated by ElevenLabs, an AI company specializing in digital voice replicas, in less than 90 seconds. The process began when John Costello, director of the augmentative communication program at Boston Children's Hospital, edited Harty's voice recordings to remove background noise, then uploaded them to ElevenLabs' platform.

The technology represents a major leap forward compared to traditional voice banking, where patients must record predetermined phrases before their condition worsens. Voice banking requires proactive participation and becomes impossible once a person's voice has already changed. AI voice cloning, by contrast, can work with older recordings, even if someone's voice has since deteriorated due to illness or age.

"The idea of voice cloning has gone from nobody being aware of it to it being a standard," said John Costello, director of the augmentative communication program at Boston Children's Hospital.

John Costello, Director of the Augmentative Communication Program, Boston Children's Hospital

According to Gabi Leibowitz, who leads ElevenLabs' impact team, around 10,000 people have used the company's service to clone their voice. The platform can process voices in 73 different languages, making the technology accessible to a global population.

Why Are Patients Turning to This Technology?

For people facing voice loss from conditions like cancer, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), or other degenerative diseases, voice cloning offers something deeply personal: the preservation of their acoustic identity. When Harty first heard her cloned voice, she described it as "the greatest gift I could ask for." For Costello, witnessing that moment was equally powerful, representing "the ability to continue to have that acoustical fingerprint that is the reflection of who we are".

ElevenLabs partnered with Boston Children's Hospital in 2024 specifically to help preserve voices for patients facing voice loss. Costello initiated the partnership after reaching out to the company's founder with the idea. What began as software designed for developers, musicians, and content creators has become a revolutionary assistive technology for a vulnerable population.

"It was so far superior to everything else that this population had access to that it was revolutionary," said Gabi Leibowitz, who leads ElevenLabs' impact team.

Gabi Leibowitz, Impact Team Lead, ElevenLabs

How to Protect Your Voice Clone: Key Safeguards Patients Should Know

• Verification Requirements: No one can clone a voice without explicit consent and a verification step that confirms the person's identity and agreement.
• Secure Storage and Encryption: Voice data should be stored with strong encryption and password protection to prevent unauthorized access.
• Company Accountability: Work only with companies that have detection systems to report misuse and demonstrate a commitment to security and safety.
• Privacy Planning: Decide in advance who has access to your voice agent, for how long, and what should happen to your voice data after you die.
• Institutional Guidelines: Consult medical guidelines, like those published by Boston Children's Hospital, that walk patients through both technical and ethical considerations.

Costello helped draft Boston Children's guidelines on voice cloning and published an article for medical staff using voice agents. The guidelines address both technical safeguards and deeper philosophical questions about voice legacy and digital identity.

What Are the Risks and Ethical Concerns?

The rise of AI voice cloning has also enabled a rise in voice scams. Scammers can impersonate politicians, celebrities, and family members to commit fraud or manipulation. Costello regularly hears from patients worried that scammers could use their voice to access banking information or deceive loved ones.

Beyond security, patients grapple with profound questions about their voice after death. Harty wrote that she would prefer her voice not to exist after she dies. Costello has documented a range of perspectives from his patients, from those who welcome the idea of family members having their voice to those deeply uncomfortable with the thought of anyone else using their acoustic identity.

The ethical landscape is complex. One anonymous patient told Costello, "As much as I'm uncomfortable with the thought of photoshopped images of me doing things I didn't do, I feel the same about someone expressing their thoughts with my voice and passing them off as mine." These concerns highlight the need for clear consent frameworks and legal protections as the technology becomes more widespread.

What Still Needs Improvement?

Despite its transformative potential, AI voice cloning technology still has limitations. The current systems struggle to convey emotion and tone accurately. Harty noted that sometimes when she types something casual, her cloned voice comes across as stressed or overly energetic. The technology also hasn't fully mastered intonations like laughter or singing, something Harty deeply misses.

Leibowitz pointed to recent progress, citing an example of an ALS patient who performed with his band on stage using a voice clone, suggesting the technology is improving. Still, Harty's experience underscores that while AI voice cloning is revolutionary, it remains a work in progress.

Despite these imperfections, Harty has no regrets. "I use this every day, all the time in almost every interaction," she said. "I depend on it." For her and thousands of others facing voice loss, the technology offers something no previous innovation could: a chance to remain themselves, acoustically and emotionally, even as their bodies change.