OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is taking a step into the voice assistant industry with new technology that can clone a person’s voice. The Voice Engine technology was introduced by OpenAI shortly after they filed for a trademark on the name. With just 15 seconds of recorded voice, the technology can accurately replicate and recreate it. However, OpenAI has stated that they will not release this technology to the public yet due to safety concerns.
The company acknowledges the serious dangers associated with creating speech that mimics people’s voices, particularly during an election year. Recent incidents such as AI-generated robocalls impersonating President Joe Biden during the New Hampshire primary highlight the potential misuse of this technology.
Several startup companies currently offer voice-cloning technology to the public or specific business clients like entertainment studios. Early Voice Engine testers have committed to using the technology only with consent and disclosing that the voices are AI-generated. OpenAI has previously taken a cautious approach with its technologies by announcing them but not widely releasing them, as seen with their video-generator Sora.
Despite not publicly releasing the Voice Engine technology yet, a trademark application suggests that OpenAI is looking to venture into speech recognition and digital voice assistant solutions. Enhancing such technology could position OpenAI to compete with existing voice products like Amazon’s Alexa.
