AI Impersonating Your Loved Ones

Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash

Casey Kasem was a well-known celebrity whose voice was so distinctive and refined that millions tuned into the radio weekly to hear him report on the Top 40 songs of the week. In the 90’s, Casey Kasem called a travel agency and asked them to send airline tickets in the name of others whom he personally vouched for. The travel agency might not have done that for you or me, but for Casey Kasem they promptly mailed the tickets to the specified address. It wasn’t until later when the travel agency tried to collect for the tickets that they realized Casey Kasem never called them. It was an impersonator who was able to convincingly emulate Mr. Kasem’s voice. Because there weren’t too many known persons who could impersonate Mr. Kasem’s distinctive voice, Mr. Kasem suspected the culprit and confronted him. The culprit confessed and was eventually sentenced to probation.

Today, impersonating a voice as unique and refined as Casey Kasem’s is child’s play for AI. And while cloning a voice can be used for many good purposes, as Casey Kasem learned first-hand, it can also be used for fraud. Many believe such fraudulent uses of AI generated voices are already prevalent.  It is time to beware.