iPhones running Apple’s new iOS 17 can learn your voice in 15 minutes and start talking like you. Apple is changing the world for the better. Or is it?
Users can create a Personal Voice by reading along with a randomized set of text prompts to record 15 minutes of audio on iPhone or iPad. This speech accessibility feature uses on-device machine learning to keep users’ information private and secure, and integrates seamlessly with Live Speech so users can speak with their Personal Voice when connecting with loved ones.Apple
That’s right! After ChatGPT and Google, it’s now Apple’s turn to dip its toes into the world of advanced AI, and what a feature to begin this journey with have Tim Cook & Co come up with! iPads and iPhones running iOS 17 (launching in September) will allow you to create a digital version of your own voice. Let that sink in for a moment… If it sounds like Apple will let you create a “deepfake” of your own voice, that’s because, it’s true. Sort of. But it’s not that simple.Apple says your iPhone will soon be able to speak in your voice with 15 minutes of training. Why? So “users can speak with their Personal Voice (the actual name of the feature) when connecting with friends and family”. But it’s not just a party trick.It should come as no surprise that Apple is approaching the Personal Voice AI feature from an angle of accessibility, which is said to be the key objective here. Cupertino has a solid track record of going above and beyond to make the iPhone more inclusive. However, this time around, many are also concerned about their privacy, and ultimate security.AI is getting incredibly powerful, and while ChatGPT can help you write an essay, and Google’s Bard can take over as your Gmail assistant, or help you find the best refrigerator for your kitchen, the true power of AI might be in its ability to interact with humans, and thus become part of our society.
Scary but helpful – iPhones running iOS 17 will be able to talk in your “Personal Voice”; Apple enters the advanced AI race in the smartest way possible
I don’t know about you but I think Apple is being quite careful about entering the AI race, as accessibility might be one of the safest options when it comes to rationalizing the need for AI in iPhones and iPads. However, this doesn’t mean Apple has chosen an easy path.If anything, an AI feature with the mission of making people’s lives easier in a truly meaningful way is more important than any other AI trick that might or might not be helping us in the first place. Moreover, the fact that Apple is behind the Personal Voice feature will only magnify the level of interest and scrutiny around Personal Voice gets from critics and the general public. But Apple is comfortable with attention.Of course, no one’s had the chance to test Personal Voice just yet, so I’ll have to reserve any strong opinions for when the feature is released (it’s expected at the end of this year). But what we can do right now is to talk about the positive nature of the advanced AI coming to iPhone. And what a better way to make a positive impact than helping people get through life. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find global statistics of this kind, but according to those available in the US, approximately 18.
