In 2023, I attended a renowned convention with work in which the moderator welcomed the audience in a video that played in the halls and pathways, greeting attendees in (if I remember correctly about 10 different languages) before the main event. What caught my attention was that in each version of the video, it sounded like the moderator was a native speaker. My international co-workers confirmed this for their languages. I thought, “How can this be? Surely, he can’t know so many languages!” Yet, nothing in the videos gave away that the content was AI-generated, neither for me, nor for my colleagues.
During a break, I talked with the moderator and asked him in German (as I assumed, he was perfectly able to speak German) how he managed to speak so many languages so fluently. He did not understand a single word, so I switched to English, and he explained how it was done. He had recorded a two-minute video in English, and AI had handled the rest, translating and mimicking his voice in other languages. What was remarkable was that despite that I knew about this technology, I couldn’t detect that the videos were AI-generated.
My personal experience is just one example of the potential that AI voice and video technologies have. These tools can solve language gaps, making global communication more accessible than ever, and even enhance presentation skills. Nowadays, everyone with a computer and access to the internet can create a digital clone of themselves in just a few minutes with platforms like www.heygen.com (Jalli, 2024)
However, ethical concerns arise. Deepfake technology and the use of it, identity theft, and misinformation are risks that are on the rise (Helmus, 2022). As AI evolves, we must balance innovation with ethical responsibility to make sure that the technology is used for good.
In conclusion, while AI voice and video cloning technologies offer exciting possibilities, careful consideration of ethical implications and responsible usage is essential for long-term success.
References
HELMUS, T. C. (2022). Artificial Intelligence, Deepfakes, and Disinformation: A Primer. RAND Corporation. http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep42027
Jalli, A. (2024, May 11). How to clone yourself with AI in seconds (HeyGen AI review). Medium. https://medium.com/@artturi-jalli/how-to-clone-yourself-with-ai-in-seconds-heygen-ai-review-23e57f90287a
Zheng, & Huang. (2023, October). The self 2.0: How AI-enhanced self-clones transform self-perception and improve presentation skills. arXiv.org. https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.15112
