AI is doing a lot of things in the tech space right now, both for those who vend hardware and those who vend software. To be honest, it's getting to a point where it is starting to turn into a buzzword, regardless of its actual utility.
The latest in AI updates to existing software is Truecaller's decision to further enhance its AI Assistant by giving it the ability to screen calls not just with preset voices, but with a voice that is basically a clone of yours. Yes, this makes sense but maybe it is a step too far, don't you think?
Kick Back And Let Your Virtual Clone Answer Phone Calls On Your Behalf
Truecaller is that popular app that basically gives you access to an online phonebook that IDs who is calling you even when you don't have that number saved on your phone. I have it on my phone and it saves me the stress of having to pick up calls from people who I don't want to have to talk to. It also helps with identifying unknown numbers that might have been flagged as spam.
Well, Truecaller has an AI Assistant now (apparently it's been around since late 2022) and it can help you out with a whole bunch of things on your smartphone. As things were, you had the option to choose one of any seven preset voices for your assistant, similar to what Google Assistant and most other virtual assistants offer.
However, now, there's an additional option for a voice and this is where things get creepy. You can now generate a digital voice that's cloned off your own voice and use it for Truecaller's AI Assistant. For some reason, this reminds me of the Black Mirror episode “White Christmas”. To use this feature, you give consent, and then record a few seconds reading a script. Truecaller will take care of the rest and make a clone of your voice.
What makes this pretty creepy is the fact that one of the things that Truecaller's assistant can help you do is screen calls by picking them up and talking for you (just like the Pixels have). That means someone could call you, hear your voice, and think it's you. The good part is that when using the Personal Voice option, whoever is on the other end will be made aware that they're speaking to a digital version of you.
Truecaller's AI Assistant Can Do A Lot Of Things Beyond Replicating You
I certainly think call screening on Android is a very useful feature, though I do think this implementation of it is straddling a very delicate line. However, I do appreciate what Truecaller's Assistant can do generally. For instance, if you're busy, a caller can leave a message with your assistant. It can also help out with call recording.
Perhaps people on the other end will prefer hearing a robotic copy of your voice when talking to your assistant, though personally, I'd like to feel like I'm talking to a different entity that's not a strange ghost of the person I'm trying to talk to.
