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Lyrebird's speech synthesizing technology raises plenty of eyebrows

Lyrebird's Voice Software: Fascinating, yet Potentially Fatal

By Colby Conway on May 31, 2017
Is it possible that we are too quick to trust what we hear? Society’s notion to trust what one sees has diminished over time, given the photo-altering abilities of powerful programs such as Photoshop and other facets of image alteration including filters, lighting and staging. But what about voice? Why is it that we come to trust an audio recording so quickly? Why are we more skeptical of images than voice? Have you ever considered “fake voice” to become a potential, and real, threat?

Lyrebird, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup company, has developed a software that allows an individual to "mimic" another voice in as little as one minute. Just record and the software will handle the rest. Users will even be available to choose an emotion for the voice. Take a listen for yourself of a Lyrebird-generated conversation between Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama posted on their webpage and SoundCloud account.



For a software-generated voice, one must admit, it’s rather believable at first listen. Sure, it might feature some static and be a bit unnatural, but the technology is fascinating and innovative nonetheless, and the benefits it can provide, aside from potentially being a groundbreaking technological advancement, are riveting. Celia Romm Livermore, professor at Wayne State University and co-Editor-in-Chief of IGI Global’s International Journal of E-Politics (IJEP), mentioned how the software could help create continuity and familiarity for a company.

“This software can help employers use the voices of employees that are no longer with the company to create a sense of familiarity and continuation for the customers,” says Romm Livermore.

Joanna Lumsden, Reader & Director of the Aston Interactive Media (AIM) Lab in the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences at Aston University and Editor-in-Chief of IGI Global’s International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction (IJMHCI), mentioned the software could be beneficial “for people with health conditions that ultimately impair or remove capacity for speech to be able to have a voice synthesizer that is truly representative of their original voice, based on a simple and short recording of their speech before speech loss.”

While the positives are intriguing, the potential effects of this software could be detrimental to anyone ranging from the president to your average citizen.

“There are many individuals whose voice is recorded and made public – either as part of their line of work (e.g., lecturers) or by media (e.g., politicians, celebrities, etc.) – who are, as a result of such software, now at increased risk of identity fraud and other fraudulent representation,” says Lumsden.

Yes, individuals whose voice is recorded and made public are at risk, but is the effect greater for individuals who make a living solely off their voice?

“For many people, especially those in the arts, for whom the uniqueness of their voice is fundamental to their success and identity, the prospect of a short recording leading to software that can entirely mimic them could be seen as a very real threat,” says Lumsden. “Why pay for a voice over from a celebrity when you can mimic it based on publicly available voice recordings?”

Could this software lead to potential avenues where an individual will use Lyrebird, or any future voice-synthesizing technology, to potentially injure another individual? It’s quite possible. Who is to say that someone couldn’t leak an audio recording of a notable individual slandering someone or an entire ethnic group? Welcome to potential fake voice, ladies and gentlemen.

“A whole new authentication industry will develop to authenticate taped voices,” says Romm Livermore. “Politicians, actors, and eventually all of us will security-‘stamp’ our recordings and we will deny all ownership of tapes that we didn't ‘sign.’"

From an ethical standpoint, as a society, stopping advancements in technology becomes a bugaboo.

soundwaves, Lyrebird, voice technology, artificial intelligence, voice software “The trouble with technology is that is has to advance and we cannot and, it could be argued, should not stop such advancement just because we consider it potentially dangerous,” says Lumsden.

Aside from potential slander and misrepresentations, the ramifications of this type of software in a courtroom, or any legal setting, could prove mind-bending. Would the audio tapes played in the courtroom of phone conversations between Scott Peterson and Amanda Frey have carried less merit in the chilling 2004 case? Would Richard Nixon have served his full term as president if he and his administration were able to refute the material on the audio recordings, notably the "smoking gun" tape, in the infamous Watergate scandal? Would the outcome of the O.J. Simpson trial have been different if there was any doubt that the man’s voice on the infamous, racial epithet-infused audio tapes wasn’t detective Mark Fuhrman? The power of voice loomed large in the minds of jurors, judges and society in these cases, and the fact that a voice-generating software could lessen, or even negate, the impact in a life-altering situation is overwhelming.

Not only will it change journalism, but Romm Livermore acknowledges the affect this software could have in legal circles.

“It will also change law enforcement, as we know it today, because taping a criminal or a terrorist will no longer be proof of any wrong doing,” says Romm Livermore. “In this sense, this software has the potential to make the work of law enforcement much more difficult and the activities of criminals and terrorists much easier.”

HSBC, one of the largest banking organizations in the world, has a subsidiary called First Direct, which is the company’s phone banking business. First Direct members all have the same password, but the uniqueness of each password comes from the company’s voice recognition software. Speaking the phrase “my voice is my password” allows an individual access to their account. However, BBC Click Reporter Dan Simmons’ twin brother, Joe, mimicked his brother’s voice and received access to the former’s account. Check it out here. What if someone recreated your voice and got access to your account?

However, it’s important to understand that a voice-mimicking software doesn’t guarantee that instances mentioned above will happen on a large scale. The software is clearly innovative and it’s advances in this field can’t be denied. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and it’s important to understand that even Lyrebird understands its software could lead to suspicious activities. Read the company’s ethics statement on their website. Lastly, understand that Lyrebird shouldn’t be blamed for problems it may cause, simply because it is the first company to offer such technology.

As Romm Livermore said; “It has the potential to be very dangerous but just like the argument that ‘guns don't kill people - people kill people’, here too, the software itself cannot be blamed for the crime that it will enable.”

IGI Global has also reached out to Lyrebird for comment.
A sincere thanks to Dr. Joanna Lumsden and Dr. Celia Romm Livermore for taking time out of their busy schedules to collaborate with IGI Global and for sharing their thoughts about Lyrebird's software. Please take a moment to view their titles below, as well as another related journal.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of IGI Global.
Newsroom Contact:
Elizabeth Leber
Promotions Assistant
eleber@igi-global.com
(717) 533-8845, ext. 132
www.igi-global.com
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