Samsung has announced some exciting changes its bringing to its AI-based virtual assistant, Bixby. These series of upgrades is to make Bixby more advanced and comprehensive. One of the most interesting changes is the new function that allows Bixby to clone a user’s voice to answer calls on their behalf.
Although this isn’t the first time we’ve seen AI systems imitate voices, it is one of the first instances in which a system like this has been implemented in a service as widely used as Bixby, which is present in millions of devices around the world.
Bixby’s AI-generated voice feature enables call answering for Samsung users
Samsung has released details of the upcoming changes to Bixby. One of the features is Bixby Text Call, which allows users to answer calls through text messages in English. Bixby will transform the text into audio to transmit it to the caller.
But Samsung isn’t stopping there. They’ve also announced the Bixby Custom Voice Creator, an even more intriguing function that allows users to record several phrases to train Bixby.
The assistant can create an AI-generated model of the user’s voice and tone. This means that the assistant can answer calls by imitating the user’s voice. This feature will be available only in the Korean language for now. But it will be available for use in other applications beyond the phone app.
In the past, companies like Google have tried to implement similar features in some of their services. Duplex was a tool that allowed users to make calls and reservations in establishments autonomously with instructions provided by the user. The Google Assistant was responsible for executing these tasks. However, the feature was not well received by the public, partly due to its limited availability.
Google has since decided to end the web version of Duplex. But its technology is still present in features like Google Pixel call filtering. This feature allows the Assistant to ask the caller about the purpose of the call. Similar to what Samsung has incorporated into Bixby.
Samsung’s new voice cloning feature is a significant step forward for virtual assistants. With this feature, users can delegate more tasks to their assistants without compromising their privacy. It’s exciting to see how Samsung and other tech companies will continue to develop AI-based virtual assistants in the future.
