WHAT IS IT
Microsoft researchers have presented an impressive new text-to-speech AI model, called Vall-E, which can listen to a voice for just a few seconds, then mimic that voice – including the emotional tone and acoustics – to say whatever you like.
WHY IMPORTANT
While at some point, you'll be able to have Morgan Freeman narrate your shopping list as you ride a trolley down the supermarket aisle, or, if an actor dies halfway through a movie, they can finish their performance through deepfake video and audio using systems like this. But a more significant issue is the potential for scam artists is also sky-high. If a scammer can get you on the phone for three seconds, they can steal your voice and call your grandma with it. Or bypass any voice-recognition security devices. This is precisely the kind of thing Terminator robots will need to make phone calls.
