OpenAI has introduced its latest project, Voice Engine, a voice cloning tool designed with a strong focus on ethical considerations and safety measures to prevent potential misuse of the technology.
Voice Engine, developed by OpenAI, boasts the ability to generate natural-sounding speech that closely resembles the original speaker, using only a text input and a single 15-second audio sample. OpenAI highlighted the capability of even small models to create emotive and realistic voices, as mentioned in their blog post.
Initially unveiled in late 2022, Voice Engine has been powering preset voices in text-to-speech APIs, ChatGPT Voice, and Read Aloud. However, OpenAI has approached its broader release cautiously due to concerns over potential misuse, particularly in sensitive contexts like elections.
Also Read: OpenAI’s Voice Engine: Cloning Your Voice in 15 Seconds
To address these concerns, OpenAI has actively engaged with a wide range of international partners, including government, media, entertainment, education, and civil society, to gather feedback and ensure responsible development and deployment.
Usage policies have been implemented for partners testing Voice Engine, prohibiting impersonation without consent, requiring explicit consent from the original speaker, and mandating clear disclosure to the audience about the AI-generated nature of the voices.
Furthermore, safety measures such as watermarking have been incorporated to trace the origin of any audio generated by Voice Engine, along with proactive monitoring of its usage to prevent misuse.
OpenAI emphasizes the importance of societal resilience against the challenges posed by increasingly convincing generative models, advocating for measures such as phasing out voice-based authentication for sensitive information and public education on AI capabilities and limitations.
They also stress the need for accelerated development of techniques to track the origin of audiovisual content and policies to protect individuals’ voices in AI applications.
In conclusion, OpenAI aims to balance the potential of Voice Engine with responsible deployment practices and calls for collective efforts to strengthen societal resilience in the face of evolving AI technologies.
