Your voice is no longer yours: how artificial intelligence can imitate you with just a few seconds of audio
Imagine receiving a call from your mother asking for help, or a WhatsApp audio from your boss giving you an urgent order. It sounds exactly like them. But it’s not them. Artificial intelligence (AI) has advanced so much that it’s now able to clone anyone’s voice with just a few seconds of recording. And the most worrying thing: the laws aren’t ready to stop it.
Security experts have been warning for months about a rise in scams using this technique. A cybercriminal can get a sample of your voice from a video on social media, a voice note or even a phone conversation, and then use AI programs —some free and easy to find— to create a fake message with your voice. With that they can call your relatives pretending to be you, or impersonate a company executive to order bank transfers. The BBC has published a report today warning that current laws, at least in the United Kingdom, don’t cover this type of crime and, therefore, don’t offer protection to victims.
What can you do to protect yourself? Experts recommend distrusting any call or voice message that asks for money or personal information, even if it sounds exactly like the person you know. If you have doubts, hang up and call the usual number yourself to verify. It’s also a good idea to limit the audios and videos of yours that you share publicly on the internet, since they’re the material scammers use to feed these tools. While governments update the laws to cover these legal gaps, the best defense is common sense and a bit of skepticism.
— Marta, for inteligencia intermitente.
