Month: March 2024
Startups Weekly: Big shake-ups at the AI heavyweights
Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. There’s not that much news from me this week, but I’ve been doing a ton of prep for TechCrunch Early Stage taking place in Boston on
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. There’s not that much news from me this week, but I’ve been doing a ton of prep for TechCrunch Early Stage taking place in Boston on […]
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
OpenAI Reveals AI Tool To Recreate Human Voices
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Axios: OpenAI said on Friday it’s allowed a small number of businesses to test a new tool that can recreate a person’s voice from just a 15-second recording. The company said it is taking “a cautious and informed approach” to releasing the program, called Voice Engine, more broadly given the high risk of abuse presented by synthetic voice generators.
Based on the 15-second recording, the program can create a “emotive and realistic” natural-sounding voice that closely resembles the original speaker. This synthetic voice can then be used to read text inputs, even if the text isn’t in the original speaker’s native language. In one example offered by the company, an English speaker’s voice was translated into Spanish, Mandarin, German, French and Japanese while preserving the speaker’s native accent.
OpenAI said Voice Engine has so far been used to provide reading assistance to non-readers, translate content and to help people who are non-verbal. It said the program has already been used in its text-to-speech application and its ChatGPT Voice and Read Aloud tool. “We hope to start a dialogue on the responsible deployment of synthetic voices, and how society can adapt to these new capabilities,” the company said. “Based on these conversations and the results of these small scale tests, we will make a more informed decision about whether and how to deploy this technology at scale.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Axios: OpenAI said on Friday it’s allowed a small number of businesses to test a new tool that can recreate a person’s voice from just a 15-second recording. The company said it is taking “a cautious and informed approach” to releasing the program, called Voice Engine, more broadly given the high risk of abuse presented by synthetic voice generators.
Based on the 15-second recording, the program can create a “emotive and realistic” natural-sounding voice that closely resembles the original speaker. This synthetic voice can then be used to read text inputs, even if the text isn’t in the original speaker’s native language. In one example offered by the company, an English speaker’s voice was translated into Spanish, Mandarin, German, French and Japanese while preserving the speaker’s native accent.
OpenAI said Voice Engine has so far been used to provide reading assistance to non-readers, translate content and to help people who are non-verbal. It said the program has already been used in its text-to-speech application and its ChatGPT Voice and Read Aloud tool. “We hope to start a dialogue on the responsible deployment of synthetic voices, and how society can adapt to these new capabilities,” the company said. “Based on these conversations and the results of these small scale tests, we will make a more informed decision about whether and how to deploy this technology at scale.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
OpenAI says it can clone a voice from just 15 seconds of audio
OpenAI just announced that it recently conducted a small-scale preview of a new tool called Voice Engine. This is a voice cloning technology that can mimic any speaker by analyzing a 15-second audio sample. The company says it generates “natural-sounding speech” with “emotive and realistic voices.”
The technology is based on the company’s pre-existing text-to-speech API and it has been in the works since 2022. OpenAI has already been using a version of the toolset to power the preset voices available in the current text-to-speech API and the Read Aloud feature. There are a bunch of samples on the company’s official blog and they sound eerily close to the real thing. I encourage you to give them a listen and imagine the possibilities, both good and bad.
OpenAI says they see this technology being useful for reading assistance, language translation and helping those who suffer from sudden or degenerative speech conditions. The company brought up a Brown University pilot program that helped a patient with speech impairment issues by creating a Voice Engine clone pulled from audio recorded for a school project.
Despite the potential benefits, bad actors would certainly abuse this technology to engage in some serious deepfake tomfoolery, which is already a problem. With this in mind, Voice Engine isn’t quite ready for prime time, as there are serious privacy concerns that must be met before a full rollout.
OpenAI acknowledges that this tech has “serious risks, which are especially top of mind in an election year.” The company says its incorporating feedback from “US and international partners from across government, media, entertainment, education, civil society and beyond” to ensure the product launches with a minimal amount of risk. All preview testers agreed to OpenAI’s usage policies, which ban the impersonation of another individual without consent or legal right.
Additionally, anybody using the tech will have to disclose to their audience that the voices are AI-generated. OpenAI implemented safety measures, like watermarking to trace the origin of any audio and “proactive monitoring” of how the system is being used. When the product officially rolls out there will be a “no-go voice list” that detects and prevents AI-generated speakers that are too similar to prominent figures.
As for when that rollout will occur, OpenAI remains tight-lipped. TechCrunch uncovered some potential pricing data and it looks like it will undercut competitors in the space like ElevenLabs. Voice Engine could cost $15 per one million characters, which works out to around 162,500 words. This is about the length of Stephen King’s The Shining. It certainly sounds like a budget-friendly way to get an audiobook done. The marketing materials also make reference to an “HD” version that costs twice as much, but the company hasn’t detailed how that will work.
OpenAI has been making big moves this week. It just announced another partnership with its bestie Microsoft to build an AI-based supercomputer called “Stargate.” The project will reportedly cost a whopping $100 billion, according to The Information.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-says-it-can-clone-a-voice-from-just-15-seconds-of-audio-190356431.html?src=rss
OpenAI just announced that it recently conducted a small-scale preview of a new tool called Voice Engine. This is a voice cloning technology that can mimic any speaker by analyzing a 15-second audio sample. The company says it generates “natural-sounding speech” with “emotive and realistic voices.”
The technology is based on the company’s pre-existing text-to-speech API and it has been in the works since 2022. OpenAI has already been using a version of the toolset to power the preset voices available in the current text-to-speech API and the Read Aloud feature. There are a bunch of samples on the company’s official blog and they sound eerily close to the real thing. I encourage you to give them a listen and imagine the possibilities, both good and bad.
OpenAI says they see this technology being useful for reading assistance, language translation and helping those who suffer from sudden or degenerative speech conditions. The company brought up a Brown University pilot program that helped a patient with speech impairment issues by creating a Voice Engine clone pulled from audio recorded for a school project.
Despite the potential benefits, bad actors would certainly abuse this technology to engage in some serious deepfake tomfoolery, which is already a problem. With this in mind, Voice Engine isn’t quite ready for prime time, as there are serious privacy concerns that must be met before a full rollout.
OpenAI acknowledges that this tech has “serious risks, which are especially top of mind in an election year.” The company says its incorporating feedback from “US and international partners from across government, media, entertainment, education, civil society and beyond” to ensure the product launches with a minimal amount of risk. All preview testers agreed to OpenAI’s usage policies, which ban the impersonation of another individual without consent or legal right.
Additionally, anybody using the tech will have to disclose to their audience that the voices are AI-generated. OpenAI implemented safety measures, like watermarking to trace the origin of any audio and “proactive monitoring” of how the system is being used. When the product officially rolls out there will be a “no-go voice list” that detects and prevents AI-generated speakers that are too similar to prominent figures.
As for when that rollout will occur, OpenAI remains tight-lipped. TechCrunch uncovered some potential pricing data and it looks like it will undercut competitors in the space like ElevenLabs. Voice Engine could cost $15 per one million characters, which works out to around 162,500 words. This is about the length of Stephen King’s The Shining. It certainly sounds like a budget-friendly way to get an audiobook done. The marketing materials also make reference to an “HD” version that costs twice as much, but the company hasn’t detailed how that will work.
OpenAI has been making big moves this week. It just announced another partnership with its bestie Microsoft to build an AI-based supercomputer called “Stargate.” The project will reportedly cost a whopping $100 billion, according to The Information.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-says-it-can-clone-a-voice-from-just-15-seconds-of-audio-190356431.html?src=rss
Black Friday-beating deals: save up to $600 on RTX 4070 and 4060 gaming laptops
Looking for a gaming laptop? There are some outstanding deals right now on mid to upper range laptops.
March isn’t traditionally known for its gaming laptop deals, but there are some absolutely outstanding options on the market right now. Dell and Best Buy, in particular, are offering massive price cuts of up to $600 on some of our favorite gaming laptops.
Our top choice for those on a budget is this RTX 4060-equipped MSI Cyborg for $849 (was $1,099) at Best Buy – one of the cheapest machines we’ve ever seen to feature the powerful graphics card. Pound for pound, this machine is a great budget buy if you need something relatively powerful without breaking the bank.
For something with a little more oompth, consider this outstandingly cheap MSI Crosshair for $1,199 (was $1,399), which features an RTX 4070 graphics card, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD. This machine isn’t the cheapest out there right now but it’s really great value considering the level of specs you’re getting here.
And, for a premium gaming laptop where looks are as important as performance, consider the excellent Asus Zephyrus G14 for $999 (was $1,599) at Best Buy or the Alienware M16 for $1,499 (was $2,199) at Dell. Both these choices feature superb components for the price – but also an eye-catching design that sets them apart from the usual cheaper models.
You can read more about our choices just down below, or head on over to our gaming laptop deals page for even more recommendations.
Today’s best gaming laptop deals
MSI Cyborg gaming laptop: was $1,099 now $849 at Best Buy
Processor: Intel Core i7-12650H
Graphics card: RTX 4060
RAM: 8GB
SSD: 512GB
I’ve seen this MSI Cyborg on sale for $799 before over Black Friday, but this deal at Best Buy is almost as good. For the money, this mid-range machine is offering almost unbeatable bang for the buck with its RTX 4060 and Core i7 chipset. Put together, you’re getting great performance here, well under $900 – more than enough to max out the graphical settings at 1080p resolutions.View Deal
Asus Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop: was $1,599 now $999 at Best Buy
Processor: AMD Ryzen 9-7940HS
Graphics card: RTX 4060
RAM: 16GB
SSD: 512GB
Speaking of amazing gaming laptop deals on mid-range machines, here’s a record-low price on one of our favorite laptops ever. This Asus Zephyrus G14 is a slightly older model, but it’s still a great buy if you’d like a smaller 14-inch laptop. This particular configuration is packed in an RTX 4060 and Ryzen 9, meaning it’s capable of outputting some serious performance despite its diminutive size. View Deal
MSI Crosshair 16 gaming laptop: was $1,599 now $1,199 at Best Buy
Processor: Intel Core i7-13620H
Graphics card: RTX 4070
RAM: 16GB
SSD: 1TB
Need a more powerful machine? This MSI Crosshair is easily one of the cheapest gaming laptop deals on the market right now, and it features a speedy RTX 4070 graphics card. This GPU, combined with a 13th-generation Intel Core i7, means this MSI is an exceptionally capable gaming laptop. While pricey compared to some of the RTX 4060 options on our list, this one is just as good value.View Deal
Alienware M16 gaming laptop: was $2,199 now $1,499 at Dell
Processor: Intel Core i7-13700HX
Graphics card: RTX 4070
RAM: 32GB
SSD: 1TB
Last year’s Alienware M16 is a great buy if you don’t mind getting a slightly older model – especially with this huge price cut courtesy of the Dell TechFest sale. Right now, you can get this premium RTX 4070 gaming laptop for just under $1,500, which isn’t bad considering you’re getting a premium design, a whopping 32GB of RAM, and one of the most powerful Intel chipsets on the market. While pricey, we’d still highly recommend this deal if you want a powerful and stylish laptop.View Deal
Backdoor found in widely used Linux utility breaks encrypted SSH connections
Malicious code planted in xz Utils has been circulating for more than a month.
Enlarge / Internet Backdoor in a string of binary code in a shape of an eye. (credit: Getty Images)
Researchers have found a malicious backdoor in a compression tool that made its way into widely used Linux distributions, including those from Red Hat and Debian.
The compression utility, known as xz Utils, introduced the malicious code in versions 5.6.0 and 5.6.1, according to Andres Freund, the developer who discovered it. There are no confirmed reports of those versions being incorporated into any production releases for major Linux distributions, but both Red Hat and Debian reported that recently published beta releases used at least one of the backdoored versions—specifically, in Fedora 40 and Fedora Rawhide and Debian testing, unstable and experimental distributions.
Because the backdoor was discovered before the malicious versions of xz Utils were added to production versions of Linux, “it’s not really affecting anyone in the real world,” Will Dormann, a senior vulnerability analyst at security firm ANALYGENCE, said in an online interview. “BUT that’s only because it was discovered early due to bad actor sloppiness. Had it not been discovered, it would have been catastrophic to the world.”
Evan Gershkovich’s Stolen Year in a Russian Jail
Eliot Brown, writing for The Wall Street Journal:
Evan Gershkovich was supposed to be with his friends in Berlin the
first week of April 2023.
The Wall Street Journal Russia correspondent was set to stay in an
Airbnb in the edgy Neukölln neighborhood, a base to explore the
city’s cobble-lined streets with his tightknit crew of journalist
pals exiled there from Moscow. He was going to drink coffee in
hipster cafes and chat into the night over glasses of beer.
It was the start of his stolen year.
Russian authorities detained Evan in Yekaterinburg on March 29,
2023, and threw him into a jail cell in Moscow. He was a fully
accredited journalist on a reporting trip and was detained on an
allegation of espionage, which he, his employer and the U.S.
government vociferously deny.
Kudos to the Journal for putting together a huge package to raise awareness of Gershkovich’s unjust incarceration. Tons of coverage online, but man, sometimes print design can do things that otherwise can’t be expressed. What a statement today’s front page makes.
★
Eliot Brown, writing for The Wall Street Journal:
Evan Gershkovich was supposed to be with his friends in Berlin the
first week of April 2023.
The Wall Street Journal Russia correspondent was set to stay in an
Airbnb in the edgy Neukölln neighborhood, a base to explore the
city’s cobble-lined streets with his tightknit crew of journalist
pals exiled there from Moscow. He was going to drink coffee in
hipster cafes and chat into the night over glasses of beer.
It was the start of his stolen year.
Russian authorities detained Evan in Yekaterinburg on March 29,
2023, and threw him into a jail cell in Moscow. He was a fully
accredited journalist on a reporting trip and was detained on an
allegation of espionage, which he, his employer and the U.S.
government vociferously deny.
Kudos to the Journal for putting together a huge package to raise awareness of Gershkovich’s unjust incarceration. Tons of coverage online, but man, sometimes print design can do things that otherwise can’t be expressed. What a statement today’s front page makes.