21 June 2023
Facebook-parent Meta has introduced its latest AI tool called ‘Voicebox’, claiming it to be a ground-breaking advancement in AI-driven speech generation.
However, Meta has opted not to release the tool to the public just yet, citing potential disastrous consequences.
According to the blog post, Voicebox surpasses competing speech-generation AIs in various aspects and is capable of accomplishing tasks beyond its specific training.
Voicebox can generate audio clips of speech in six European languages, producing reasonably accurate text-to-speech replications using as little as a two-second audio sample.
Although safe, this ability holds immense destructive potential in the wrong hands.
For instance, it could be exploited to create lifelike voice imitations of public figures, such as politicians, by compiling existing audio recordings available on the internet.
Such manipulations could have serious implications and potentially incite conflicts.
“We recognise that this technology brings the potential for misuse and unintended harm,” Meta said via the blog post.
