At SXSW, the AI audio company ElevenLabs partnered with Rebecca Gayheart Dane, the wife of the late actor Eric Dane, to promote a new initiative that will provide free AI voice restoration to 1 million people with permanent voice loss.
Appearing alongside Gayheart Dane at a SXSW panel on Friday, ElevenLabs co-founder Mati Staniszewski said the company is actively looking for people around the world to participate in the 1 Million Voices Initiative.
Staniszewski encouraged audience members to share contact information for people suffering from voice loss due to cancer and other medical issues; potential participants can fill out an interest form online.
Eric Dane, known for his work in Euphoria and Grey’s Anatomy, died in February after a struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Prior to his death, he worked with ElevenLabs to clone and restore his voice. Now Gayheart Dane wants to champion this technology for others.
“Our voices are such an important part of who we are, and something most of us take for granted,” she said. “As Eric’s speech became gradually more impaired, I watched how that loss dimmed so much of his joy and sense of self. When he received his ElevenLabs voice, it made him emotional to have that part of himself back, and to know our daughters would always be able to hear his voice.”
Rebecca Gayheart Dane, Mati Staniszewski, and Yvonne Johnson appeared on the “Restoring Voices” panel at SXSW.
Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable
AI is a controversial and divisive technology, of course. Deepfakes, misinformation, and copyright infringement have been regular themes in the AI discussions at SXSW technology panels in 2026. But just like any tool, it can be used in a positive way too.
“You know, people are very careful and concerned about AI technology in general, but this is the best example of using it for good,” Gayheart Dane said. “And I think that message means to be spread greatly, large and loud.
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“Because [AI] can be used for good, and maybe this will inspire others, other AI companies, to do something good with their capabilities instead of something nefarious.”
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How the 11 Million Voices Initiative works
To find people with voice loss and restore their voices, ElevenLabs is working with accessibility nonprofits and disability foundations like the Scott-Morgan Foundation.
Using a voicemail or a short video, ElevenLabs AI tools can faithfully recreate a person’s voice, allowing them to communicate in real-time using their own lost voice.
To promote the initiative, ElevenLabs also premiered the 11 Voices docuseries at SXSW. The series profiles 11 people with voice loss, all of whom are working with the 1 Million Voices initiative.
Yvonne Johnson, a British woman with ALS who appears in 11 Voices, also participated in the panel, sharing her journey with voice loss and AI voice cloning. Using AI, ElevenLabs was able to recreate her voice, right down to the North London accent.
The docuseries shows Johnson renewing her vows with her husband. Speaking at the panel with her restored voice, Johnson said that the technology has been a huge gift for her family.
“So I simply type what I want to say, the same as you would with a text message, and then I just press a speech button, and my beautiful voice comes through,” Johnson said at the panel.
“You can also tell someone off. I mean, really tell someone off,” she said — looking at her husband and son in the audience with a smile.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
SXSW
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