Apple’s new AI-based Personal Voice creates a voice that sounds like yours
iOS 17 is coming, and in just a few months Apple will launch a new system alongside the new iPhones. But we’re already learning about the new features it will include. One of them is Live Speech and Personal Voice.
The Live Speech feature will allow users to type text, which the system will then convert to voice. Such a feature can be useful wherever a user may be vocally indisposed in some way, whether it is a permanent disability or a temporary inability to speak. The Personal Voice feature then provides a unique way to store your spoken speech, various phrases, and then use machine learning on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to create a voice that sounds just like you. The whole process is supposed to work by prompting the user to read random strings of text and the system will record their voice. This feature should especially help those who may be at risk of losing their voice, such as those diagnosed with ALS.
Apple describes its new feature as follows, “With Live Speech on iPhone, iPad and Mac, users can type what they want to say to be spoken aloud during phone calls, FaceTime calls and in-person conversations. Users can also save commonly used phrases so they can quickly engage during live conversations with family, friends and colleagues. Live Speech was designed to support the millions of people around the world who are unable to speak or who have lost their voice over time.”
The Personal Voice feature will be interlinked with the Live Speech feature, which will bring immense help to people who want to communicate with their family, friends with their voice despite suffering from the handicap of voice loss.
Apple goes on to say, “For users who are at risk of losing the ability to speak – such as those diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or other conditions that can progressively affect the ability to speak – Personal Voice is a simple and safe way to create a voice that sounds like them. Users can create a personal voice by reading along with a random set of text prompts to a 15-minute audio recording on an iPhone or iPad. This speech facilitation feature uses on-device machine learning to ensure the privacy and security of users’ information and integrates seamlessly with Live Speech so users can speak in their personal voice when connecting with loved ones.”
The new Personal Voice feature essentially gives people the ability to create their own synthetic voice that sounds just like them. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is the ability to communicate with friends and family,” said Philip Green, a board member and ALS advocate at the nonprofit Team Gleason, who has experienced significant changes in his voice since becoming one of the victims of an ALS diagnosis in 2018. “If you can tell them you love them in a voice that sounds like you, it makes a big difference – and the ability to create your synthetic voice on your iPhone in just 15 minutes is extraordinary.”
Apple has announced that these new features will be rolled out sometime later this year following the launch of the new iOS 17.
Source, photos: cnbc.com
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