Eleven Labs
Leading AI voice synthesis platform; ultra-realistic voice cloning and text-to-speech for global content.
Last refreshed: 22 April 2026 · Appears in 2 active topics
As voice cloning gets indistinguishable from the real thing, who is responsible for what ElevenLabs creates?
Timeline for Eleven Labs
Mentioned in: Dex closes $5.3m matching ML talent
UK Startups and InnovationMentioned in: UK Q1 VC hits $7.8bn, Nscale dwarfs rest
UK Startups and Innovation- What is ElevenLabs and what does it do?
- ElevenLabs is an AI speech synthesis platform that provides ultra-realistic voice cloning and text-to-speech APIs. It is used by publishers, game studios, and accessibility platforms to produce audio content at scale in more than 30 languages.
- Can ElevenLabs clone anyone's voice without permission?
- ElevenLabs' policy requires explicit consent before cloning the voice of a public figure or any identified individual. The company screens requests and has removed access from users who have violated the policy.
- Is ElevenLabs regulated under the UK Online Safety Act?
- Synthetic audio platforms such as ElevenLabs face compliance obligations under the UK Online Safety Act regarding harmful deepfake content. The Act creates duties around content moderation and, for services accessible in the UK, obligations to prevent non-consensual intimate audio deepfakes.
- Who founded ElevenLabs?
- ElevenLabs was founded in 2022 by Piotr Dabkowski and Mati Staniszewski, two Polish engineers. The company grew rapidly after its voice cloning API attracted developer adoption across gaming and media.
Background
ElevenLabs is among the wave of AI companies driving record UK venture activity in Q1 2026, when UK VC reached $7.8bn, up 60% year on year. The company's rapid commercial adoption across content creation, accessibility tooling, and game development has positioned it as a reference point in discussions about AI-generated voice and audio consent frameworks, which regulators in the UK, US, and EU are actively developing.
ElevenLabs is an AI speech synthesis platform founded in 2022 by Piotr Dabkowski and Mati Staniszewski, two Polish engineers formerly based in the United States. The company's flagship products include ultra-realistic voice cloning, text-to-speech APIs capable of preserving emotional nuance and speaker identity, and a voice library for professional content producers. Its models support more than 30 languages and are used by publishers, game studios, podcast networks, and accessibility platforms to automate and scale audio production. ElevenLabs has reached a valuation placing it among the fastest-growing generative AI companies outside the large foundation-model labs.
The company sits at the centre of the voice deepfake and consent debate. Audio cloning at ElevenLabs' fidelity can produce convincing impersonations of real people from as little as a minute of source audio, a capability that has prompted both urgent regulatory attention and commercial demand from entertainment and media. The UK's Online Safety Act and the EU's AI Act both create compliance obligations relevant to synthetic voice platforms. ElevenLabs has published a voice cloning policy requiring explicit consent for cloning public figures, reflecting the same commercial-ethics positioning Synthesia uses in synthetic video.