At SXSW, ElevenLabs will take the stage for a deeply personal and powerful conversation about voice, identity, and the future of AI-powered restoration.
At SXSW, ElevenLabs will take the stage for a deeply personal and powerful conversation about voice, identity, and the future of AI-powered restoration.
We were honored to speak with Eric Dane about the importance of voice as a core part of who we are. After being diagnosed with ALS, Eric experienced firsthand how the gradual loss of speech impacts not just communication, but independence, connection, and joy. Shortly before he passed, Eric used ElevenLabs’ voice restoration technology to recreate his voice — a moment that was profoundly emotional for him and his family. Hearing his restored voice meant his daughters would always be able to hear their father as he truly sounded.
Eric became an early champion of our 1 Million Voices initiative, driven by a desire to ensure that others facing permanent voice loss could access the same technology.
This year at SXSW, actor Rebecca Gayheart Dane joins ElevenLabs to honor Eric’s legacy and continue the advocacy work he cared so deeply about. During the panel, “Hello Again: Restoring Voices with AI,” Rebecca shares what it meant for their family to hear Eric’s voice restored — and why expanding access to this technology matters.
“Our voices are such an important part of who we are,” Rebecca shared. “When Eric 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. It sounded just like him.”
The panel also marks the premiere of 11 Voices, our new docuseries featuring individuals living with permanent voice loss who narrate their oIt's a little general right now. Basically, in this film, we see a guy who lost his ability to talk but still stays at his job. wn stories using AI-generated versions of their voices. From ALS to stroke to cerebral palsy, the series highlights how restoring someone’s voice can restore agency, identity, and connection.
Through our 1 Million Voices initiative — a $1 billion in-kind commitment — we are working to provide free, lifetime access to voice restoration technology for one million people living with permanent voice loss worldwide. What began in 2024 as a small ALS-focused program has already supported approximately 7,000 individuals across 49 countries, in partnership with more than 800 nonprofit and communications organizations.
A film honoring Eric and his legacy of advocacy is being contemplated for later this year as part of this series.
Eric believed this technology could help others preserve something irreplaceable. At SXSW, Rebecca helps carry that vision forward — ensuring his legacy lives on by expanding access to voices that deserve to be heard.
If you or someone you know could benefit from voice restoration technology, you can learn more and apply at elevenlabs.io/impact-program.
Because everyone deserves to be heard — in their own voice.
Today, we are proud to release 11 Voices: a short documentary series featuring eleven extraordinary individuals who lost their ability to speak and, through the ElevenLabs Impact Program, are now able to communicate again in their own voices.
At our London Summit on February 11th, a world-first in voice AI took place on stage.
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