Unintended Consequences of Voice Recording The narrator, Alyona Andronova, recorded her voice for a large bank without knowing how it would be used. She later discovered that her voice was being used in pornographic content and lost job opportunities as a result. This highlights the issue of technology allowing anyone's digital footprint to be manipulated without their consent.
"Voice Synthesis" Technology and its Impact on the Industry 'Voice synthesis' technology has advanced to the point where it can replicate any person's voice based on their digital traces online. In 2019, there was a casting call for female voices for internal company use, but Alyona's recordings were also intended to train an AI assistant named Oleg with different emotions and intonations. However, she did not realize that her recordings could potentially be misused outside of the bank.
Lack of Legal Protection and Accountability Alyona tried contacting the bank regarding the unauthorized use of her synthesized voice in explicit advertisements but faced obstacles due to lack of contact information provided in her contract. The absence of clear regulations around speech synthesis allowed these recordings to circulate freely online without censorship or control over usage rights.
The Role of Tinkoff Bank Tinkoff is an organization that values its reputation and ensures the quality of its voice assistant. They allow third parties to make changes to the synthesis for further improvement.
Concerns about Voice Synthesis 'Synthetic voices' are becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from real human voices, which raises concerns about potential misuse and manipulation. There have been instances where synthetic voices were used without permission, such as in video game trailers or recordings of famous actors.
Implications for Personal Identity The use of synthetic voices can lead to identity theft and impersonation, as it becomes easier to replicate someone else's voice with high accuracy.
Challenges in Implementing Voice Synthesis Technology Many projects use voice synthesis technology without seeking permission from the original voice owners. However, there are legal limitations that prevent this. To avoid these issues, it is necessary to demonstrate and showcase how the technology works. Additionally, there is a lack of diversity among companies using voice synthesis technology.
"Voice as Intellectual Property" - Legal Issues with Voice Synthesis "Voice as intellectual property" raises several legal concerns when it comes to voice synthesis technology. The use of someone's voice without their consent can be considered a violation of their rights similar to unauthorized usage of one's appearance or biometric data. Therefore, legislation should regulate the usage and creation of synthetic voices.
Ethical Considerations: Cloning Voices and Resurrecting Deceased Individuals Advancements in neural networks allow for cloning voices based on small audio samples, making synthesized voices almost indistinguishable from real ones. This raises ethical questions regarding deceased individuals' voices being used without consent or knowledge by creating fake accounts or reviving them for storytelling purposes.
Protecting Personal Voice and Image The current legislation in Russia is not prepared for the rapid development of neural networks. The Union of Russian Announcers proposes legislative amendments to ensure our safety, such as protecting voice as an intangible asset and regulating voice synthesis agreements. It is important to prevent unauthorized use of voices from old recordings without proper consent.
Ensuring Integrity in Voice Synthesis Agreements 'Sinteza' contracts should include explicit permission for material processing while preserving the essence and meaning. Additionally, there should be restrictions on merging voices or making significant alterations that could harm an actor's image. Companies must compensate announcers for concealing information about synthesis technology used before its public release.
Enhancing Regulation and Accountability Establish a specialized department within cultural institutions or regulatory bodies to oversee issues related to neural networks, copyright infringement, complaints against websites/resources involved in audiovisual content manipulation.