Courses with Voice-Over

Question

Hello fellow instructors,

I have a question regarding the use of voice-over narration in my courses. Is it permissible to use a third-party or AI-generated voice-over instead of my own voice when creating and hosting courses on Udemy? I recall that Udemy previously restricted this practice but revised their policy last year, albeit with certain conditions. Could anyone clarify Udemy’s current guidelines on this matter or direct me to official documentation outlining the requirements?

Thank you in advance for your insights!

FrankKane · Accepted Answer

From https://support.udemy.com/hc/en-us/articles/229232367-Audio-Standards? :

"Udemy now accepts courses with audio instruction created using quality text-to-speech programs. To be approved in the Quality Review Process, please ensure the audio quality is clear, easy to understand, and that your program can properly pronounce any acronyms and technical jargon used in your course. These courses must be accompanied by dynamic and clearly relevant visuals in accordance with the Video Standards."

However, given the choice, I would not advise using AI voices if you can help it.

First of all, this policy is subjective. Terms like "quality," "clear," and "easy to understand" can't be well defined, and there have been many instances in this forum where someone has had their course removed due to the AI voice not sounding natural enough. Even the best AI voices still sound like a bad actor reading from a script, so you are taking a gamble.

Secondly, Udemy is now under new leadership since the policy changed to allow AI voices. They could change their mind, which also puts your course at risk.

Thirdly, most learners just don't like AI voices. It could lower your course rating.

The authenticity that comes with your own voice is valuable. Use it if you can.

The other part of your question is about using a "third party" voice. This can raise issues with Udemy as they can't be sure you have the rights to use that other person's voice. If you want to go that route, I would advise adding the person voicing your course as a co-instructor with their own Udemy account, so there's no doubt that the owner of the voice is also an owner of the course. Udemy may still require further proof.

In any case, using Udemy's test video service might uncover potential issues sooner rather than later.

MarinaT · Accepted Answer

Hi @PuneetGupta453,

I don’t have anything to add beyond what Frank shared about the Audio & Video Standards 😊. That said, if you have any more specific questions or concerns, it’s best to reach out to our Policy team at policy@udemy.com. I’d also highly recommend submitting a Test Video before creating the full course. It’s the best way to ensure everything meets our audio standards and can save you time down the line.