Microsoft's Voice Cloning for Teams

Source:

TechCrunch
on
November 19, 2024
Curated on

November 21, 2024

At Microsoft's Ignite 2024 event, the tech giant unveiled a new feature for its Teams platform known as Interpreter. This tool aims to bring real-time, speech-to-speech interpretation to Teams meetings, allowing users to simulate their own voices in nine different languages. This innovation is slated for release in early 2025 and is available to Microsoft 365 subscribers. The company assures users that no biometric data will be stored, and that the feature can be turned off via Teams settings. Although voice cloning technology offers exciting possibilities for overcoming language barriers, it also raises both ethical and security concerns. The rapidly evolving landscape of deepfakes, for instance, has made it increasingly challenging to separate fact from fiction online—witnessing losses over a billion dollars linked to impersonation scams. Microsoft's Interpreter will need to navigate these complex issues carefully, providing adequate safeguards against potential misuse. The global market for language processing technologies is booming, potentially reaching $35.1 billion by 2026. However, despite advances, AI translators still fall short of capturing the intricacies of human conversation—such as analogies, colloquialisms, and cultural nuances—offering a less lexically rich experience than human interpreters. With the advent of Interpreter in Teams, Microsoft takes yet another step in this burgeoning field, possibly setting new standards for multilingual business communications in various sectors.

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