Samsung’s Bixby Has a New Voice Cloning Function

Tech giant Samsung has released a new technology for the most recent iteration of their flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S23.

Korean owners of the new phone can actually have the device clone their voice to be used for calling people and communicating via text message which the system reads out to the person on the other end.

Let’s take a look at this futuristic technology and how it works.

What is Bixby’s Voice Cloning Feature?

Bixby will actually allow you to give samples of your voice for it to record and then create its own version. All it takes is a few sentences saying different kinds of words and Bixby will already have as much as it needs to provide an automated voice system that resembles your own voice.

Can English Users Use Bixby’s Voice Cloning Function?

Although Bixby already has support for the English version of their voice cloning feature, it hasn’t been released to the public yet. The only language currently offered is Korean, but that is expected to change soon since Samsung phones are used in a huge array of different languages.

English users can, however, already use the Bixby Text Calling feature now by using one of the provided automated voices instead of their own.

Will Voice Cloning Technology Cause Security Issues?

The overall impact of this new tech is still yet to be seen since it hasn’t been around nearly long enough to know what will happen with it. However, the inherent risks seem obvious enough.

If this technology falls into the wrong hands, it could be incredibly dangerous. That is, if the cloned voice sounds realistic enough. This is another thing that we have yet to find out. However, the technology should improve over time, and sound more and more convincing to the point of not being able to tell—if you ever could in the first place.

What Can Bixby’s Voice Cloning Be Used for?

The idea is that if you’re in a noisy place, or somewhere that you can’t talk, that you can listen to what the person on the other end is saying and type instead of talking so that you can still respond.

It is cool that you can have it sound like your own voice, but if the person calling you knows that your phone is capable of answering calls with text using an automated voice anyway, voice cloning doesn’t seem necessary.

It would come in handy if the person on the other end had no idea about the feature and it was important that they speak to you. Sending a message that you’ll call them back isn’t the best move 100% of the time, so this new feature does serve a select set of circumstances.

Bixby is Getting Smarter All the Time

Samsung’s smart assistant has been making strides lately, and can now respond to a wide variety of basic commands, such as setting an alarm, taking a screenshot, opening an app, and much more.

We can expect Bixby and other smart assistants like Microsoft’s Cortana and Apple’s Siri to continue to add useful features each year. After all, this is now the age of Chat GPT where you can let AI complete an incredible amount of tasks for you.

Conclusion - Is Voice Cloning Creepy or Cool?

When it comes down to it, some of the latest advancements in technology, particularly when it comes to AI can be alarming. However, these kinds of features will become more and more commonplace as the years pass and generations grow up with the conveniences they offer.

Let’s just hope the power of these technologies isn’t abused!