Voice cloning through Artificial Intelligence (AI): 8 Jan, 2024

Voice Cloning Process:

• Data Collection: The process begins with collecting a substantial amount of audio samples of the target voice. 
• Preprocessing: The collected audio data is then preprocessed. This involves cleaning the audio (removing noise, etc.), segmenting it into smaller parts, and sometimes converting it into a spectrogram or other formats suitable for analysis.
• Training the Model: An AI model, typically a deep neural network like a convolutional neural network (CNN) or a recurrent neural network (RNN), is trained on this preprocessed data. 
• Synthesis: Once trained, the AI model can generate speech that mimics the target voice. 
• Refinement and Evaluation: The synthesized voice is refined for naturalness and fidelity to the original voice

Vulnerability of Indians to Voice Scams:

• A significant percentage of Indians would respond to urgent financial requests from family or friends, as per a McAfee report.
• Common scam tactics involve messages claiming robbery, accidents, or urgent travel needs.

Regulatory Actions and Challenges:

• The U.S. FTC launched a Voice Cloning Challenge and is considering an Impersonation Rule to combat deceptive voice cloning.
• Rapid advancements in AI voice cloning technologies are outpacing regulatory efforts.

Why in News:

• Recently a report titled ‘The Artificial Imposter’ highlighted that in India, 47% of surveyed individuals have been affected by AI-generated voice scams, with the country experiencing the highest number of such frauds globally.