Neat! Looks like I'm behind the times already.

It's a lot easier to write "cries like a baby" or "screams in terror" than it is to actually do it on command, over and over again, for take after take.

And one can even imagine a program with emotional slider bars that lets a person listen to how a line sounds with different levels of inflection and then automatically inserts the appropriate markup for the settings the user selects.

That percon can be replacable. Or it can be team. And you don't need to worry about the AI tiring or damaging their vocal cords after trying out different intonations all day. And eventually the there will be good enough automation to generate the intonattions too - either entirely or with minimal input from a voice director.