ChatGPT maker OpenAI has unveiled a voice-cloning tool but has no plans to release it yet as it tries to iron out safety concerns surrounding the latest addition to its generative artificial intelligence arsenal.
The service, Voice Engine, has been in development since late 2022 – about the same time when ChatGPT was launched – and uses text input and a 15-second audio sample to generate “natural-sounding speech that closely resembles the original speaker”, California-based OpenAI said in a blog post on Friday.
It is aimed at reading assistance, translation, supporting people who are non-verbal and helping patients with degenerative speech conditions recover their voice, as well as being a service to help hasten community services in remote areas, it said.
Voice Engine joins OpenAI's suite of generative AI platforms, including Dall-E for images, Sora for video and ChatGPT, which began the generative AI revolution.
Early testers will be able to preview Voice Engine, with no plans to go public “at this time”, OpenAI said, in line with the company's “approach to AI safety and our voluntary commitment”.
“We are taking a cautious and informed approach to a broader release due to the potential for synthetic voice misuse. We hope to start a dialogue on the responsible deployment of synthetic voices and how society can adapt to these new capabilities,” OpenAI said.
The company did not provide a timeline for Voice Engine's general release.
“Based on these conversations and the results of these small-scale tests, we will make a more informed decision about whether and how to deploy this technology at scale,” it said.
Voice cloning has long been used in industries and supports tasks such as customer support and engagement, as well as contribute to cost and operational efficiencies.
The global voice cloning market is projected to hit nearly $9.3 billion by 2030, from an estimated $1.45 billion in 2022, growing at a compound annual rate of more than 26 per cent, latest data from Grand View Research shows.
However, with the advent of generative AI, risks have also come to the fore, which include misinformation, fakery and bias, among others.
OpenAI, in particular, acknowledged that these risks are heightened in 2024, being an election year in the US, where a rematch is expected between incumbent President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who engaged in a highly-polarising, social media-fuelled battle in 2020.
“We recognise that generating speech that resembles people's voices has serious risks … we are engaging with US and international partners from across government, media, entertainment, education, civil society and beyond to ensure we are incorporating their feedback as we build,” OpenAI said.
OpenAI said its Voice Engine partners have agreed to its use policies, which prohibit the impersonation of another individual or organisation without consent or legal right, and require “explicit and informed consent” from the original speaker.
“We don’t allow developers to build ways for individual users to create their own voices. Partners must also clearly disclose to their audience that the voices they're hearing are AI-generated,” the company said.
$100bn data centre supercomputer with Microsoft
Meanwhile, OpenAI and its biggest backer, Microsoft, are in talks to develop a data centre powered by a supercomputer built from millions of specialised chips, The Information reported on Friday, quoting sources.
The supercomputer, said to be named Stargate, is expected to cost as much as $100 billion and would be based in the US, it said.
Microsoft, which reportedly invested $10 billion into OpenAI in January 2023, will be most likely to finance the project, which would be about 100 times more costly compared to present data centre projects, the report said.
OpenAI and Microsoft have not commented on the report.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Scores
Wales 74-24 Tonga
England 35-15 Japan
Italy 7-26 Australia
The full list of 2020 Brit Award nominees (winners in bold):
British group
Coldplay
Foals
Bring me the Horizon
D-Block Europe
Bastille
British Female
Mabel
Freya Ridings
FKA Twigs
Charli xcx
Mahalia
British male
Harry Styles
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Michael Kiwanuka
Stormzy
Best new artist
Aitch
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Mabel
Sam Fender
Best song
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber - I Don’t Care
Mabel - Don’t Call Me Up
Calvin Harrison and Rag’n’Bone Man - Giant
Dave - Location
Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove
Lewis Capaldi - Someone you Loved
Tom Walker - Just You and I
Sam Smith and Normani - Dancing with a Stranger
Stormzy - Vossi Bop
International female
Ariana Grande
Billie Eilish
Camila Cabello
Lana Del Rey
Lizzo
International male
Bruce Springsteen
Burna Boy
Tyler, The Creator
Dermot Kennedy
Post Malone
Best album
Stormzy - Heavy is the Head
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent
Dave - Psychodrama
Harry Styles - Fine Line
Rising star
Celeste
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
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Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
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38 days
273,600 calories consumed
28kg of fruit
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45 pairs of running shoes
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The specs
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Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
Arctic Monkeys
Tranquillity Base Hotel Casino (Domino)
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February 9 v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final
The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
The specs: 2018 Maserati GranTurismo/GranCabrio
Price, base Dh485,000 (GranTurismo) and Dh575,000 (GranCabrio)
Engine 4.7L V8
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Power 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 520Nm @ 4,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.3L (GranTurismo) and 14.5L (GranCabrio) / 100km
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
MATCH INFO
Delhi Daredevils 174-4 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians 163 (19.3 ovs)
Delhi won the match by 11 runs
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
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