Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have enabled machines to generate speech that sounds remarkably natural. A team of researchers has developed an AI trained on YouTube and podcast recordings that can produce speech with the same ums and ahs as human speakers.
The research involved training the AI using audio recordings from podcasts, radio shows, audiobooks, and other sources. The machine was then given text prompts, such as “Hello” or “How are you?” In response, it generated realistic-sounding phrases complete with pauses, intonation changes, and filler words like “um” or “ah”.
This technology could be used for a variety of applications including virtual assistants for customer service agents or automated voice systems for call centers. It could also help improve accessibility by providing more natural-sounding voices to those who rely on text-to-speech software, such as screen readers for blind people or deaf people who use sign language interpreters.
In conclusion, this development is an exciting step forward in making artificial intelligence sound more lifelike than ever before while at the same time improving accessibility options across many different fields of application.
Read more at New Scientist
