Scammers use AI to clone teen's voice in kidnapping ploy
Arizona mother Jennifer DeStefano joins 'America's Newsroom' to share her experience after being targeted by scammers who used artificial intelligence to clone her daughter's voice in an extortion plot.
Voice cloning through artificial intelligence is quickly becoming more advanced, more accessible and more widely used. While using artificial intelligence to clone voices can be beneficial in making certain work more efficient and assisting those who have lost their ability to speak, there are also many problems that have, so far, been hard to solve.
Anyone who has a phone, computer or similar technological device has access to voice cloning through a long list of available software. Even though some are more advanced and efficient than others, voice cloning as a whole is an extremely easy thing to do.
Below are some popular questions answered about voice cloning and how it is used.
Voice cloning is possible through artificial intelligence. (JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT AI
- What is AI voice cloning?
- What apps can clone someone’s voice?
- How do you clone a voice?
- What is AI voice cloning used for?
1. What is AI voice cloning?
Voice cloning is when artificial software takes a person's voice and replicates it. When voice cloning was at its start, the AI would need to gather a lot of recorded speech to be able to clone a voice. Now, as the technology has advanced, very little pre-recorded speech is needed in order to clone a voice.
2. What apps can clone someone’s voice?
There are lots of different apps and software that can clone someone's voice. One example of a voice cloning app is VoiceCopy that is available on Apple’s app store and Google Play. This app can be used to clone voices with just a short talking sample.
All that is needed for voice cloning is a short clip of someone talking. (CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
VoiceCopy is far from the only voice cloning software out there. There are lots of others like Voice.ai, Speechify, Resemble AI, Play.ht, ElevenLabs, Murf AI and many others.
There is also a new AI voice cloning software called Bixby by Samsung. This AI software allows people to clone their voice when answering phone calls. This will allow users to type a message to be spoken through voice cloning to the person on the other side of the line.
Samsung isn't the only one jumping on voice cloning for your phone. Apple has an AI voice assistant with the same idea called Personal Voice that is set to release with the company's IOS 17 update.
Apple's IOS17 update has promised an AI voice assistant called Personal Voice. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
3. How do you clone a voice?
Cloning a voice has quickly become a very easy thing to do. All that is needed to clone a voice is a short voice recording. Then after that, you can type in what you want the voice to say.
4. What is AI voice cloning used for?
Voice cloning serves a variety of purposes, some positive and some negative. Some positive uses for voice cloning are assisting people who have lost the ability to speak and for voiceover work.
One of the huge downfalls to voice cloning is that it is causing scams to rise since it is so difficult to distinguish what’s real and what’s not. Criminals have used voice cloning to scam people into giving money, in cases where the person on the receiving end of the call thinks they are talking to a close friend or relative in trouble.
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With voice cloning advancing, scams are on the rise. (iStock)
The Federal Trade Commission has released some tips to follow if you feel like you might be the victim of a scam call. One thing to do is to call the alleged loved one in trouble with a number you know is their own. If they fail to answer, start to get in touch with them through family members or friends who may know their whereabouts.
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