How to Sound Human in an Artificial World (Voiceover + Real Life)

/February 10, 2026/inVoice Over Clients

AI and the artificial voice are here to stay. And I’ll admit, the technology is impressive. But as a professional voice-over artist – and someone who firmly believes in the value of authenticity and building connections – I’ve come to realize that many brands using AI voices are overlooking the risks.

Yes, AI can copy a voice. But it can’t copy intent, presence or trust the same way. This is why an AI voice still sounds so artificial compared to a human voice, because one is computer-generated and the other is a real person with real emotions, empathy and lived experiences.

For brands, it’s the difference between sounding genuine and fake, which has a profound impact on their ability to build trust and credibility.
In this post, I share what makes AI voices sound so artificial and how to stay unmistakably human in voiceover and everyday communication.

The “Artificial Voice” Moment

AI voice has come a long way over the last few years. And suddenly, it’s everywhere. Mobile ads, social media, training videos, customer service and so on.

You hear it on virtually every device you use during the day. You know the moment I’m talking about. Maybe you’re seeing an ad on your phone or a social media clip, and for a split second, your brain accepts it. But then, something feels… off. It’s not real – it’s AI.

To be clear, the issue isn’t “AI is bad.” Technology is a tool, just like a microphone. The real issue is trust. Because these days, people don’t just listen for sound. They listen for meaning and connection.

When we strip away the elements that make a voice sound human—the imperfections, the breath, the hesitation, the micro-shifts in tone that signal “I am thinking about what I am saying”—we strip away that connection.

As a voice actor and a poet, I believe that maintaining this trust and connection are so critical for keeping audiences engaged, now more than ever.

Can You Tell When a Voice is AI?

For me personally, an AI voice is instantly identifiable. But you don’t have to be a professional voice actor to spot it. AI has several obvious characteristics that make it so clearly distinguishable from a human voiceover

How to spot an “Artificial” Voice:

  • The “Uncanny Valley” of Smoothness: AI voice always sounds too perfect. The voice and tone are too smooth to be real. Not necessarily robotic (though sometimes that does come across too) – but unreal in its flawlessness – to the point of sounding empty.
  • Weird Pacing: AI voice lacks the natural “micro-pauses” that we all do when we are processing a thought or emotion (even when we’re reading a script). AI has no natural breath. Or, the breath is added artificially, and it sounds weird and random.
  • Emotion Doesn’t Match the Words: Why does the voice sound upbeat when the words are serious? Or, why does it sound serious when the words are clearly meant to be light and conversational? These are classic tells of AI. Because the AI reads the font, not the feeling.
  • Flat Energy: The energy level at the start of recording is identical to the end. Real humans know how to emphasize, build energy and recover, as relevant to the words (and meaning) on the page. AI voice keeps the same energy, the whole time.

Pros of AI Voice

Using AI for voiceovers isn’t all bad. There are several good reasons why a business or brand might want to use artificial intelligence to support their project needs. Here are a few examples of the potential advantages:

  • Scale & Speed: Let’s say a weather website wanted to create thousands of localized weather reports or simple directional prompts. AI could do this fairly quickly, without the need to hire a massive team of VO talent.
  • Accessibility: AI can provide quick translated versions of a human voiceover in other languages to make it accessible for virtually everyone, everywhere, plus added benefits like text-to-speech.
  • Prototyping: Producers can use AI to hear a script out loud before hiring the voiceover talent. This can help to fine-tune the script before a professional steps in, limiting the need for retakes and revisions.

Cons of AI Voice:

  • The Trust Deficit: If a brand sounds fake, do you trust their product? What else can you trust if the first interaction is artificial? Or, put differently, how can you build a connection when the first impression is distrust?
  • Consent & Rights: Remember, an AI voice has to be trained on something. Usually, it’s a human being who may not have agreed to be cloned. Does the company own it? What if there’s a future dispute with real voice actors who claim their voices were used without permission?
  • Impersonation & Scam Risks: AI voice has made it easier for voices to be impersonated for illicit purposes, such as scamming customers or businesses via “vishing” attacks. The proliferation of voice-based AI has made this worse.
  • Brand Risk. For many brands, using AI cheapens your image. When your brand sounds generic, you become generic. In a crowded market, sounding like everyone else is the fastest way to be forgotten. This has a long-term impact on brand reputation and credibility.

How to Sound Human

So, how do you sound human in this new era of artificial voice? First, it depends on the message: what is it, why and who is listening? Because unlike with AI, all of these factors play into the delivery by a real person.

Whether you are behind a microphone like me, or leading a meeting at work, here is how you stay undeniably human.

A) For Voiceover

  • Speak to One Person: Don’t broadcast to “the internet.” Visualize one friend. The microphone can hear your intention.
  • Let Breath & Silence Do Some Work: When we speak authentically, we breathe, we pause, we think. Sometimes a bit of silence is what makes a voiceover so powerful.
  • Choose One Intention Per Paragraph: Don’t just “read warm.” Decide: Am I comforting them? Am I challenging them? Change your intention as the script moves.
  • Be Specific: A generic read is a dead read. Find specific beats in the script to emphasize and build emotion.

B) At Work (Presentations & Meetings)

  • Drop the “Presenter Voice”: We all have that safe, rehearsed voice we use on Zoom. Lose it. Trade “presentation voice” for “conversation voice.” Speak with your audience instead of at them.
  • Story Over Data: Make it personal and meaningful. Help people visualize. One story (about why or what you’re speaking about) will always connect faster than five abstract bullet points.
  • Slow Down on Purpose: AI rushes to the end. Humans linger on the meaningful parts.
  • Use Real Language: Replace the corporate filler with the words you would use at dinner.

C) Across Different Audiences

  • Don’t Stereotype: Attempt to know your audience intimately – whether it’s a single friend or a classroom of students. Don’t assume anything or generalize or fake your tone. Adjust your clarity, references and pacing as you speak (as we all do when talking authentically).
  • Reflect Back: In conversation, ask better questions and reflect back on what you heard. AI answers; humans ask. In real life, conversations should not be one-sided.
  • Aim for Clarity + Respect: That is the universal sound of connection. You’re not

Fast Facts: Sounding Human in an Artificial World

  • What is an AI voice? Synthetic speech generated by machine-learning computers to mimic a human voice.
  • Why is it everywhere? It’s cheap, scalable and faster than booking a studio session for high-quality voiceover talent.
  • Where AI voice helps: Accessibility tools, prototyping and scaling when the quality has little to no bearing on brand reputation or credibility.
  • Where AI voice hurts trust: By sounding fake or forced at a time when people want authenticity and connection. Lack of trust = lack of credibility.
  • What makes a voice feel human: Natural imperfection, pauses, breath and the ability to adjust pacing based on emotion, not just punctuation.
  • Fastest way to sound more human: Slow down and visualize speaking to a single, specific person.

Final thoughts

AI voice isn’t going anywhere. But that doesn’t mean we need to fear it. We need to recognize the value of our own voices – whether behind the mic or in person. In a world that is becoming increasingly automated and artificial, the most “premium” signal you can send is your own authentic presence. So take a breath, find your intent and speak—not just to be heard, but to be felt. That is the art of sounding and being human.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Listen for the breath and the pauses. AI often sounds “too smooth” and lacks the tiny, natural hesitations a human makes when thinking. Also, check for a mismatch between the emotion of the voice and the meaning of the words.

Not necessarily. It disrupts the “commodity” work, but it raises the value of authentic, high-level voice acting. It also forces voice actors to be better—to be true storytellers rather than just clear readers.

Use AI for scale—like thousands of personalized names in a video game or functional GPS directions. Use a human for anything that is meant to build trust, brand identity or emotional connection.

Intent. A machine simulates the sound of an emotion; a human feels the intent behind it. It’s the difference between hearing a cry and feeling the sadness.

Stop reading slides and bullet points. When you read, you disconnect. Look at your audience, take a breath and speak as if you are telling a story to a friend at a coffee shop.

Don’t stereotype or change who you are. Instead, adjust your pacing and your references. Focus on being clear and respectful—that resonates with everyone.

Yes. New technologies like SynthID and AudioSeal are being developed to embed invisible “watermarks” in audio, allowing listeners to verify if a sound is human or synthetic.

Silence. Most people rush to fill the air with every word Taking a full, confident pause before you make each point commands attention and signals confidence.

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