One Year Later, OpenAI has Yet to Launch its Voice Cloning Tool

In late March of last year, OpenAI introduced a “small-scale preview” of Voice Engine, an AI tool capable of cloning a person’s voice using just 15 seconds of audio. Nearly a year later, the tool remains in limited testing, with no clear timeline for a full release—or confirmation that it will be launched at all.

OpenAI’s hesitation to roll out the technology broadly could stem from concerns over potential misuse or an effort to avoid regulatory scrutiny. The company has previously faced criticism for prioritizing rapid product releases over safety and for rushing to market ahead of competitors.

In a statement to TechCrunch, an OpenAI spokesperson said the company continues to test Voice Engine with a select group of “trusted partners.”

“We’re learning from how [our partners are] using the technology to enhance both its usefulness and safety,” the spokesperson explained. “So far, we’ve seen promising applications in speech therapy, language learning, customer support, video game characters, and AI avatars.”

Delays Persist for OpenAI’s Voice Engine, Despite Its Advanced Speech Capabilities

Voice Engine, the technology behind OpenAI’s text-to-speech API and ChatGPT’s Voice Mode, produces highly natural-sounding speech that closely mimics the original speaker. The tool converts written text into speech, constrained by certain content safeguards. However, its release has faced multiple delays and shifting timelines.

In a June 2024 blog post, OpenAI explained that Voice Engine learns to predict the most likely sounds a speaker would produce based on a given text transcript, accounting for variations in voice, accent, and speaking style. This allows the model to generate not only spoken text but also “spoken utterances” that simulate how different speakers might read aloud.

Originally known as Custom Voices, OpenAI had planned to integrate Voice Engine into its API on March 7, 2024, according to a draft blog post viewed by TechCrunch. The initial rollout was intended for up to 100 “trusted developers,” prioritizing those creating applications with a “social benefit” or demonstrating “innovative and responsible” uses of the technology. OpenAI had even trademarked the tool and set pricing: $15 per million characters for standard voices and $30 per million characters for HD-quality voices.

At the last minute, OpenAI delayed the announcement. When Voice Engine was finally unveiled a few weeks later, it lacked a public sign-up option. Instead, OpenAI stated that access would remain restricted to a small group of around 10 developers the company had been collaborating with since late 2023.

OpenAI Emphasizes Ethical Considerations in Voice Engine’s Limited Rollout

“We hope to foster a discussion on the responsible use of synthetic voices and how society can adapt to these advancements,” OpenAI wrote in its Voice Engine announcement blog post in March 2024. “The insights from these conversations and small-scale tests will help us determine whether and how to deploy this technology on a larger scale.”

OpenAI has been developing Voice Engine since 2022 and showcased it to global policymakers in 2023. The tool, accessible to select partners like Livox, offers high-quality voice cloning but remains online-only, limiting its usability for some.

Livox CEO Carlos Pereira praised its multilingual capabilities but hopes for an offline version. OpenAI has not provided updates on a broader launch or pricing, and Livox currently uses it for free.

A key reason for Voice Engine’s delay is the risk of misuse, especially during elections. OpenAI has added safeguards like watermarking and requires explicit consent for voice cloning, but enforcing these policies at scale remains a challenge.

The company is also exploring voice authentication and restrictions on cloning public figures. With AI voice scams on the rise, Voice Engine’s future remains uncertain, making it one of OpenAI’s longest-running limited previews.

Read the original article on: TechCrunch

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