Hearing Maya Angelou’s words as she spoke them

Maya Angelou’s poetry and speeches spoke of struggle and strength; her presence commanded attention. We worked with CMG Worldwide, Worldwide XR, VueXR, and D.R.E.A.M.S. at FIU to develop AI-generated recreations of her voice. These new AI and augmented reality (AR) experiences use technology to bring her writing back to the foreground, so people can hear her in a way that feels direct and immediate. 

The projects will be available on the VueXR app and Worldwide XR website starting on February 24, 2025. The AR Digital Quarter experience will follow today, on February 26.

CMG Worldwide, which represents the estate, ensured the rights for the project were in place. “We are honored to celebrate Dr. Maya Angelou’s profound legacy,” said Mark Roesler, CEO of CMG Worldwide. “By combining technology with her powerful words, we hope to inspire and engage new generations.”

The experiences

• The AR Digital Quarter - A reimagined version of the U.S. quarter honoring Maya Angelou. Users can scan a real Maya Angelou quarter or use a link to enter the experience.
• The Caged Bird Experience - A digital space designed around Angelou’s famous poem. As users move through it, they hear her words and feel the meaning behind them.
• The AR Poem Gallery - Angelou’s poetry appears visually in space while her AI-generated voice reads it aloud.
• The AR Digital Library – A collection of her books presented as towering volumes, with her voice narrating excerpts.
• The Dr. Angelou Museum Experience -yours  A developing project that will showcase her life, activism, and creative work.

The estate, represented by Caged Bird Legacy LLC, shared its perspective: “Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality can bring Dr. Angelou’s words to life in a unique way. Through her AI-generated voice and AR-created experiences, users will gain unparalleled access to her life and work.”

“Maya Angelou’s voice is central to her work. AI makes it possible for people to hear her words as she spoke them, bringing her writing and ideas to life and making her legacy more accessible,” said Dustin Blank, Head of Partnerships at ElevenLabs.

These projects don’t replace Maya Angelou’s voice - they let people hear it again. Her words have always been here, printed on pages and passed down in recordings. AI doesn’t change that. It makes listening possible in a new way, bringing technology and tradition together as another way to keep her voice present.