Many thanks for this. I knew of digital narration, but not that it was so accessible. I've also listened to the opening of your Positively Productive Writer (thanks for the link) and I can understand why you don't suggest using digital narration for fiction, it's a bit flat. Though I may try it with a fiction short just to see how it turns out.
My only venture into audio - so far - was with a fiction short for a Fantasy con that had moved online at short notice during the initial months of the pandemic. I used the free 'Audacity' software and bought myself a £25 microphone. Hearing how I speak was a bit of a shock, all the stuff we filter out when listening to someone in the flesh, but I enjoyed the technical side of pulling out the rasps and breaths. It is, though, as you say, very time-consuming. So DIY or AI, there's no getting away from that aspect - at the moment.
Thanks again for an inspiring article.