A Peek Behind the Curtain - audibible

We're digging deeper into a beautiful and immersive audio Bible app called audibible, where Stéphan used AI in such a cool way to bring it together.

A Peek Behind the Curtain of audibible

TL;DR

🎙️ The behind the scenes of a new and upcoming immersive Bible experience: audibible

⛰️ How God showed up despite financial roadblocks and rejection from Christian companies

🎁 Win faith.tools shoutouts and swag by sharing!

Welcome to the 3rd post of the Peek Behind the Curtain series, where we at faith.tools partner with app builders of your favorite apps to give you a look behind the scenes. You may know the app, but you might not know the stories behind the app.

Today we're digging deeper into audibible, an immersive and beautiful audio Bible experience on your phone, created by Stéphane Montlouis-Calixte.

Here's our convo with Stéphane.

The Interview

What is the origin story of audibible? How did it come to be?

In September 2023, while searching for a job, I discovered the application Speechify. Using it to listen to documents, I was amazed by the ability to read the text while listening. This prompted me to investigate the current state of AI text-to-speech technology. As an experiment, I explored the idea of having Snoop Dogg read the Bible, just for fun. I found that this was possible in English, but I was not entirely satisfied, as I am French, and the French text-to-speech capabilities were not as advanced as the English ones.

My initial goal was to explore the feasibility of using AI-generated audio to create affordable audiobooks. Producing a full-length audiobook, such as the Bible with its 1,200 chapters, can be quite expensive when hiring a human narrator. Therefore, I wanted to see if AI-generated audio could be a viable alternative.

As my exploration progressed, the idea evolved into a more immersive project, potentially a meditation app. I wanted to create a high-quality audio experience, accompanied by videos, pictures, and other elements to provide a truly immersive experience for the user.

- Stéphane

Honestly, I really want to hear Snoop Dogg narrating the Bible… haha. What I see here is how excitement and fascination around AI-generated audio technology made it easy for Stéphane to want to dig deeper and see how it could be used for good.

The idea doesn’t always have to be fully fleshed out to start. What Stéphane is teaching me is to just explore and have fun. And, as time went on, more and more ideas began to form for what eventually became audibible.

Sometime when working on what you know is meaningful, there almost always is some form of opposition. And, opposition wasn’t a stranger to audibible.

What's one challenge that you overcame when working on audibible? Or, when it felt like quitting, what helped you stay the course?

While working on audibible, I came across a startup called Eleven Labs that offered voice generation services. However, the cost to generate a single Bible audiobook, which could be up to 4-5 million characters, would have been between $500 and $600, which was beyond my budget. Undeterred, I started exploring the open-source world to see what technologies were available. I was able to find some really good and great open-source technologies, and I began tweaking and hacking using Python scripts to recognize voices and create timestamps and time codes.

The process was quite difficult and challenging. I also reached out to some other Christian companies, hoping to showcase my vision and potentially secure investment or a partnership, but they were not interested. At that point, I was tempted to quit, but I kept persisting. I remained hopeful because the AI world is growing rapidly, and I believed that within a few months, there would be new open-source solutions available that could help me achieve my goals.

Since I started working on this application in September 2023, I have been continuously exploring and experimenting with open-source technologies to overcome the financial and technical hurdles I faced. Despite the challenges, I remain determined to bring my vision to life and provide affordable and accessible audiobook solutions.

From a technical point of view, I've always wanted to provide a quality application, with a beautiful interface that's pleasant to use. Thinking up viable solutions can be quite a challenge, but sharing my progress on twitter helps me to discuss with more experienced people.

- Stéphane

With the vision of what could be, Stéphane persisted through hardships of finance, rejection, and technical hurdles. When it seemed like all odds were against him, God made a way…

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”

Galatians 6:9 NIV

Anywhere you recognize God's hand throughout the journey of creating audibible?

What's funny is that every time I was about to give up, there was a new improvement in the AI world, and it was quite amazing to see that it was happening day-to-day. For example, if I start working in the morning and I'm facing some issues and I cannot go further, maybe in the evening or the next day, I would receive new information or an opportunity that would help me move forward.

Recently, I was really interested in working with an AI startup for generating voices, but I didn't have the money. Then, they provided a new API for beta testers with $2,000 credits. It was really amazing to be able to use those $2,000 credits to generate some voices.

Then there's the motivation that comes from users who, out of nowhere, send you a super-encouraging message to keep you going!

Talking about your faith in the tech world isn't necessarily well received, but it's quite interesting to see that when you provide innovative, quality applications, even non-Christians are interested in finding out more, and some even offer to help me!

- Stéphane

I love that last sentence. When you create out of the overflow and inspiration from the Holy Spirit, even non-Christians see the light and are inspired.

When I see the story of idea, struggle, and God providing in the midst of struggle, I’m reminded of two things:

1. God is faithful

2. God is sovereign

No matter the outcome, God is faithful. And, it’s so cool to see that when Stéphane didn’t have see a way, God made a way. Reminds me of this verse:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

If you could give advice to someone who's wanting to build an app or tool for Christians, what advice would you give?

Working in the Christian world can be challenging, especially when it comes to the gospel and people's willingness to financially support projects. The dilemma of free versus paid apps is a significant issue, as people may not be as inclined to pay for Christian-themed applications. Convincing the target audience to engage and contribute can be difficult, as the mindset and expectations differ from the secular market.

Developers often have to carefully consider their monetization strategy, weighing the options of donations or paid applications. While some Christian apps have found success with either or both approaches, it can be a delicate balance to strike. The Christian community may have a different perspective on the value and pricing of such applications.

Another challenge faced by solo developers like me is the potential reluctance of Christian companies to provide support. As an independent developer without a startup, it can be challenging to secure the necessary resources and assistance to bring a meaningful project to fruition. This is in contrast to the opportunities that may be available in the secular market.

I remain committed to using my skills and talents to serve God and fulfill the gift God had given me. The desire to work for a higher purpose, even while maintaining a full-time job, is a driving force that propels me to navigate the complexities of the Christian app development landscape.

- Stéphane

Stéphane, I really appreciate the transparency. I’m thankful for the growing focus on Christians in tech community, and am praying for ways to encourage the breaking down of building in silos and to turn towards one another with a helping hand.

It's time for a shameless plug! What's something that's been on your mind lately that you'd recommend to the faith.tools community? (can be anything, even something you're working on)

I mostly post in French on Twitter, but you can follow me at @smontlouis. I sometimes share updates about the progress of my application. You can also test the beta version of the app right now at audibible.app.

A few years ago, I also built an application called Bible Strong. If you'd like to try that one out, feel free. And if you'd like to donate to help me with the development of the beta application, you can do so on https://bible-strong.app/en/give.

Thank you very much.

- Stéphane

Pause and Reflect

Choose a question to reflect on:

• Q: What stood out to me in this interview and why?

• Q: When was a time when I accidentally or intentionally rejected a brother or sister in Christ when they needed help? And, what would I do differently next time?

• Q: How can I proactively find ways to serve my Christian brothers and sisters around me?

Get the audibible App 📲

We'd like to thank Stéphane for taking time to give you a Peek Behind the Curtain. Try out audibible today. It’s in beta, but Stéphane can help get you set up quickly to test it out.

I hope this post and entire series encourages Christians who develop, design, and build apps to lean on the Lord's guidance when building and to get advice from wise Christ-centered mentors and community who can speak truth and direction in the process. We are in this together 💪 God bless!