Truecaller Enhances AI Assistant with Personal Voice Cloning
In a blend of innovation and personalization, Truecaller, the widely-used dialer and spam-blocking application, has rolled out a new feature for its AI Assistant that is sure to intrigue its paid user base. In collaboration with Microsoft, Truecaller has integrated Azure AI Speech’s Personal Voice technology, allowing users to create a digital clone of their own voice to manage incoming calls.
The AI Assistant, a feature introduced in September 2022, already comes packed with functionalities such as automatic call answering, call screening, message taking, and call recording. It’s designed to interact with callers to ascertain the intent of their calls, boasting a spam detection accuracy that reportedly surpasses 90%. Until now, users had the option to select from a set of seven pre-set digital voices for their assistant.
The latest update takes customization to the next level, as users can now train the AI Assistant with their unique vocal print. By recording a script for a few seconds, users can generate a digital voice clone. To ensure clarity and transparency, Truecaller has made a thoughtful decision to limit customization of the initial greeting when using the personal voice feature, making it clear to callers that they are communicating with a digital representation of the user.
The introduction of the Personal Voice feature is being methodically rolled out, starting with countries like the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, India, Sweden, and Chile, with plans to extend to other regions in the near future.
While this technological leap brings a new layer of personal touch to digital communication, it also sparks conversations about the ethical implications of voice cloning technology. The market is already witnessing a surge in AI voice-generating applications. Moreover, there have been increasing instances, particularly in India, where scammers have exploited AI to mimic voices of known individuals to conduct financial frauds.
As we navigate this era of rapid AI development, the distinction between authentic and artificial interactions is becoming increasingly hazy, prompting us to ponder if we are keeping pace with the ethical and social implications of such advancements.
