Use AI to recreate a loved one’s voice
Mark in Washington, D.C., wrote in with a question that absolutely pulled at my heartstrings:
“Kim, I love your newsletter and shows on WTOP 103.5 FM. My dad passed away recently, but I have all his voicemails on my phone. Is there any way to recreate his voice so my two young kids can hear him read their favorite bedtime stories?”
Mark, what a beautiful idea. And yes, you can absolutely do this with a little bit of AI magic and some tech know-how.
🗂 Save and organize the audio
Start by pulling those voicemails off your phone.
- iPhone: Open the Phone app, tap Voicemail. Select the message and tap the Share icon. Save to Files, Messages, or Email it to yourself.
- Android: In your carrier’s app, there is usually a way to save voicemails.
No save option?
🎙️ Record with another phone. Play the voicemail on speaker. Use a second phone with a free app like:
- Easy Voice Recorder (Android)
- Voice Memos (iPhone)
Once saved, keep those files backed up somewhere like Google Drive or Dropbox, so they’re ready for the next step.
🧽 Clean up the sound
Those recordings may need a little TLC.