Why would I choose a human voice over an (often) cheaper AI alternative?
Hannah North
🎙️Pro Voice Over British Scottish, English, RP & Character 🎭 Actor
March 24, 2025
Good question! And one we are all wondering at the moment. The AI voices out there are steadily improving but there is still a way to go. I personally still just cannot fully connect with an AI voice.
My husband recently had a long e-learning training to watch and listen to for his work and he came to me complaining how difficult it was to concentrate and keep focus on the topic. As an renewable energy engineer he has many technical topics to learn about and respond to regularly and he found this very difficult with the AI alternative his company had chosen.
Below are a list of reasons why finding a human to voice your narration, e-learning, explainer will help not only your company and brand but also you employees. They will retain and truly learn from the information you are taking time to write and produce for them!
1. Emotional Connection Humans convey subtle emotions, nuance, and authenticity that AI still struggles to replicate. Whether it’s warmth, urgency, humour, or sincerity, a human voice builds trust and connection — key for keeping audiences engaged and invested.
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2. Brand Personality Your brand has a unique tone, and a real voice actor can tailor delivery to match your brand identity — be it friendly, authoritative, quirky, or caring. AI often sounds generic, making it harder to stand out.
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3. Contextual Intelligence Humans instinctively understand context — sarcasm, emphasis, pacing, and even how to subtly adjust tone based on the script’s meaning or audience. AI often gets tripped up by homonyms, complex phrasing, or shifts in mood.
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4. Audience Perception Listeners can tell the difference. Even the best AI voices can feel “off” — slightly robotic or emotionally flat. If your audience perceives your content as low-effort or inauthentic, it can harm your credibility.
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5. Flexibility & Direction Working with a human means you can give real-time feedback: “Can you make that line sound more empathetic?” or “Try a slower pace here.” With AI, revisions often require re-generating the whole piece and still might not get it right.
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6. Cultural Sensitivity Human narrators understand nuance in local accents, dialects, slang, and cultural references. This helps avoid awkward phrasing or tone-deaf delivery that might alienate audiences.
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7. Legal & Ethical Considerations Using a human voice ensures you’re not unknowingly using cloned voices or AI tools with unclear licensing or usage rights — a growing legal grey area.
Have a think about how you engage with naturally spoken podcasts, talk radio (my fave is BBC Radio 4) and face to face conversations. If you are a Voice Over keep your reads natural & engaging. For companies keep searching for real (human!) voice over actors to bring life and vitality to your projects!
Now get back into your studio and record your next script like the natural human wonder you are! Hannah 🎙️🤩🎙️
📧 Fancy a human sample read of your script? Email it to me and I will send it back asap – hannah@hannahnorthvo.com
Some prerecorded voice over samples? 🕸️ www.HannahNorthVO.com
🎙️Pro Voice Over British Scottish, English, RP & Character 🎭 Actor