Apple announced a number of upcoming accessibility features for iPhones and iPads as part of their celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day. These improvements include the revolutionary “Personal Voice” feature, which will be launched later this year.
This new feature was developed specifically to help those whose ability to speak is about to be lost due to illnesses like ALS. This feature offers a lifeline to people at risk of losing their ability to speak and stands out among the upcoming improvements.
Features of the “Personal Voice” Feature:
- Users can record how they speak using Personal Voice, which gives their iPhones the ability to use the Live Speech feature to talk in their own unique voice.
- The Personal Voice feature can be enabled in the accessibility settings, and users must go through a setup process similar to activating Siri.
- Apple users need to record a 15-minute audio clip, which requires them to read a randomly generated set of text instructions. Using that, the on-device machine learning technology will be able to generate the voice of the user.
- The device securely stores this footage, which is kept completely confidential.
Users simply need to enter a word or phrase into the Live Speech text box to use the feature, and the phone will automatically mimic the audio using the owner’s voice.
With the release of iOS 17, which is anticipated for late 2023 and will take place with the global launch of new iPhone models.
Apple intends to debut this astonishing Personal Voice feature. There’s also a chance that older iPhone models with Apple’s former A-series Bionic chipsets will also support this capability.
It’s worth noting that, Amazon is also developing a similar voice simulation tool. With this development, customers may soon be able to request that Alexa-enabled smart speakers answer to their commands in the voices of their loved ones.
Rohit Prasad, senior vice president of Amazon and the lead scientist of Alexa AI, even showed off a scenario in which Alexa imitated the voice of a deceased relative last year, offering a special chance for coping with sorrow and keeping priceless memories.
Potential Risks and Cybersecurity Threats:
- With the enormous potential of these voice simulation tools, it’s important to address any possible cybersecurity threats and concerns.
- Threats such as voice phishing scams, voice forgery, identity theft, and unauthorized impersonation are brought on by the accurate duplication of personal voices.
- To prevent the exploitation of recorded voice data, strong security measures, such as encryption and authentication methods, are required to protect user privacy.
Arguably, Apple’s Personal Voice feature demonstrates their dedication to accessibility and gives people who have voice-related difficulties greater freedom.
However, it is crucial to be aware of the potential dangers related to the duplication of one’s voice and to implement the necessary security measures to prevent any potential cybersecurity issues.
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