Ever since the emergence of ChatGPT, there has been a storm of many variations of generative AI popping in from all directions. Another on the long list of impressive AI is ElevenLabs voice-cloning AI. And what it can do is remarkable, so much so that it is a powerful tool for making money in the voice industry.
Evolution of Text-to-Speech:
The idea of text-to-speech has been around for decades. What it was when it was first discovered, explored, and deployed to our everyday devices is not even close to what AI has been able to deliver in recent years. And now, just like how generative AI disrupted the world of art and its creators, it is doing the same with the voice industry.
If you have seen "Listen to Post" on websites, a text-to-speech feature to enable people to listen to text content, you can say that some of them are doing fairly well. Personally, I never really use them because they still sound non-human, and that isn't exactly pleasing to my ears. Listening to what ElevenLabs can do with their AI voice has piqued my interest enough to make me want to explore just how powerful and useful it is.
"Unleash the power of our cutting-edge technology to generate realistic, captivating speech in a wide range of languages." That's what ElevenLabs says on their website with their impressive AI, and it truly delivers—as far as I can tell. One could really think the AI-generated voices it has are actually human when they listen to them at work. But just how good and applicable are these voices in the real world?
Security Concerns in Voice Authentication:
At Vice, a reporter documented how he broke a bank account with an AI-generated voice. Many banks now use voice-ID as a means of authentication for their customers to make transactions on their accounts with them. Lloyds Bank, for example, claims that its "Voice-ID" program is totally safe.
“Your voice is like your fingerprint and unique to you. Voice ID analyses over 100 different characteristics of your voice, like your fingerprint, that are unique to you. Such as how you use your mouth and vocal chords, your accent, and how fast you talk. It even recognises you if you have a cold or a sore throat." Going over how the reporter uses ElevenLabs AI-voice to break into account, it is alarmingly concerning if this voice-ID is truly safe and what the future holds with the emergence of a tool so powerful.
Although the likelihood of fraudsters using this new means to cause harm to bank accounts is low, the narrative is different from that of high-profile bank account owners like celebrities, who have samples of their voices all over the internet.
Ethical Dilemmas in the Voice Industry:
The voice industry has a lot of uses for this AI in concepts like audio book publishing, YouTube videos, TikTok content, and many more. However, some actors and creators say it's "disrespectful to the craft" with how they are increasingly being asked to sign rights to their voices away so clients can use artificial intelligence to generate synthetic versions that could eventually replace them, and sometimes without additional compensation. 2
ElevenLabs says that they are working on measures to ensure safe and ethical uses of its AI, such as a marketplace for voices. That is, it'll be a place where users can create a voice, verify it, and share it. And whenever the voice is used, the original creators receive compensation.
Call to Action in AI Development:
ElevenLabs voice-cloning AI presents remarkable capabilities to shape the voice industry. While it offers innovative applications in content creation, there are ethical concerns, as demonstrated in the potential misuse in banking reported at Vice. ElevenLabs addresses these concerns with a marketplace for voices, aiming for safe and ethical AI use. This is a call to action on striking a careful balance between ethical concerns and technological advancement.
Read More: Voice cloning startup ElevenLabs lands $80M, achieves unicorn status ~ TechCrunch