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WRI-101: Voice, Noise, Sound, Sense.

A section of Davidson College's Writing Program, exploring the intersections of sound-studies and writing instruction.

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Giving Everyone a Voice

I was very impressed by the advancements that the Lyrebird team has been able to make with text-to-voice technology. I have been exposed to this technology before due to learning about how Stephen Hawking would use this type of technology to communicate with people. However I was unaware of how easy it could be for anyone to utilize this technology. This software can be very useful for those who have lost their voice, for example those who have ALS or who have suffered a stroke. People with these diseases can use this technology to get their voice back.

Unfortunately text-to-voice technology also has some drawbacks. In the NPR article, “Can You Believe Your Own Ears? With New ‘Fake News’ Tech, Not Necessarily”, the problems with this technology was highlighted. Despite the alleged security of this system, it is still possible for your voice to be used without your permission. If anyone finds recordings of your voice are on the Internet, these recordings can be used and uploaded to Lyrebird to create a virtual avatar of your voice to be utilized for someone else’s purpose. In the article it mentions how influencers could “create fake clips of politicians”. This could be very problematic because then these influencers could cause huge switches in support or opposition for certain politicians. Despite the couple of issues in their technology, Lyrebird is creating a type of software that will be very helpful in helping to spread people’s voices globally even if they have lost their physical voice. It will be exciting to see how this company continues to change the face of technology.

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An Imitation Of What Cannot Be imitated

What is most unique about humans is the distinct voice they produce when speaking, a voice from deep within their bodies that no one else can copy. To illustrate, as Cavarero states, “The vibration of a throat of flesh that repeats words with an unrepeatable voice” (522 SSR). It must take a professional actor with great skill to even come close to replicating a voice, although, a new company called Lyrebird has come out with a text to voice generator that is able to copy anyone’s voice and have it say whatever they type in. This raises many red flags and skeptics such as Tim Mark from NPR provides quotes from others who question the safety of this technology, “I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that it is a potential threat to democracy” (Henry Farid, Chair of computer science at Dartmouth College). The lyrebird team defends their technology through their catalyst to creating the technology, which is a solution to those who have lost their voices to disease. Specifically, Lyrebird has a partnership with the ALS Association, “Project Revoice”, and their goal is to help people with ALS keep their voices and improve their methods of communication. Ethically, Lyrebird also acknowledges the dangers that comes with their technology and states how they will attempt to avoid the misuse of it through global awareness and the customer’s voice cannot be released without consent. Personally, I do not see any reason for this technology to be open to the public, it would be a matter of time before someone figures out how to hack the system for their own benefits. Evidently, I believe Lyrebird should be a private company and only be in partnership with companies such as the ALS Association. The less people this technology is available to, the less chances they are of it going to the wrong hands.

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Noah

https://beta.myvoice.lyrebird.ai/g/egcdajso69

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