Audio deepfake
An audio deepfake (also known as voice cloning or deepfake audio) is a product of artificial intelligence[1] used to create convincing speech sentences that sound like specific people saying things they did not say.[2][3][4] This technology was initially developed for various applications to improve human life. For example, it can be used to produce audiobooks,[5] and also to help people who have lost their voices (due to throat disease or other medical problems) to get them back.[6][7] Commercially, it has opened the door to several opportunities. This technology can also create more personalized digital assistants and natural-sounding text-to-speech as well as speech translation services.
Incidents of fraud[edit]
Audio deepfakes, referred to as audio manipulations beginning in the early 2020s, are becoming widely accessible using simple mobile devices or personal computers.[8] These tools have also been used to spread misinformation using audio.[3] This has led to cybersecurity concerns among the global public about the side effects of using audio deepfakes, including its possible role in disseminating misinformation and disinformation in audio-based social media platforms.[9] People can use them as a logical access voice spoofing technique,[10] where they can be used to manipulate public opinion for propaganda, defamation, or terrorism. Vast amounts of voice recordings are daily transmitted over the Internet, and spoofing detection is challenging.[11] Audio deepfake attackers have targeted individuals and organizations, including politicians and governments.[12]
In 2019, scammers using AI impersonated the voice of the CEO of a UK-based energy company and directed employees to transfer €220,000./[13] In early 2020, the same technique impersonated another CEO to authorize a money transfer of about $35 million through a phone call.[14]
According to a 2023 global McAfee survey, one person in ten reported having been targeted by an AI voice cloning scam; 77% of these targets reported losing money to the scam.[15][16] Audio deepfakes could also pose a danger to voice ID systems currently deployed to financial consumers.[17][18]
In March 2023, the United States Federal Trade Commission warned a common technique was to fake the voice of a family member in distress asking for money.[19] The United States Federal Communications Commission banned the use of AI to fake voices for robocalls in February, 2024.[20][21]
During the campaign for the 2024 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, voters received robocalls from an AI-impersonated President Joe Biden urging them not to vote. The New Hampshire attorney general said this violated state election laws, and alleged involvement by Life Corporation and Lingo Telecom.[22]