Microsoft’s VALL-E appears to be the most dangerous scam software ever
In Brief
Vall-E is a computer-generated voice that can be used to impersonate real humans.
It is created with a real person’s voice recording and a Microsoft code.
VALL-E has been promoted as a tool for improving people’s disability through text-to-speech translation.
To train the AI, the developers used up to 60,000 hours of English speech.
It is not yet public, but if it is, con artists could use it to deceive others into sending money.
Since its announcement in early 2023, Microsoft’s VALL-E has been touted as a tool to improve people’s disabilities by translating text to speech or replacing voice actors to make a movie or game more affordable. However, it now appears that VALL-E may be the most dangerous scam software ever released.
According to the comments, VALL-E can be used to scam people out of money by imitating a friend’s voice or the voice of a celebrity. It’s a bit like masks for FaceApp, but for voice. Microsoft has not yet commented on the reports of VALL-E being a scam.
What is Vall-E?
Vall-E is a synthetic voice that can be used to imitate real people. It is made using a recording of a real person’s voice and a Microsoft code. This code is not yet public, but it is possible that it could be leaked.
Researchers have been working to find ways to enhance the way text-to-speech (TTS) systems produce speech since the introduction of the first TTS model. The most recent Microsoft model, the VALL-E, represents a considerable advancement in this area.
How does Vall-E work?
The best part is that it just requires just three seconds of speech for learning, or more precisely, for microlearning. This means if you have a three-second audio clip of someone talking, you can put any text you want in their mouth.
And now, in the voice of Zuckerberg, the AI infamously disparages the weather prediction in the metaverse.
Listen to the samples in the Diversity Synthesis section by scrolling down. This AI can add color to the voice and give in to emotions in addition to, say, preserving the sample’s emotional tones.
Example #1
Example #2
Example #3
No one did it before, which is why they did it so deftly, but the developers used up to 60,000 hours of speech in during the training phase (which appears to be chopped from the Teams app).
Put tears in your voice so that everyone will cry
the voice director now notoriously instructs the AI
What makes Vall-E so dangerous?
Vall-E is dangerous because nefarious agents could use it to trick vulnerable people into transferring funds to a card. Con artists can use it to impersonate someone familiar to the victim, such as a family member or a friend. This can lead to people losing a lot of money.
Microsoft has not yet released the code for Vall-E, so it is not available to the general public. However, if leaked, it could be used by anyone and for any reason. This would make it nigh impossible to tell if a person’s voice is real or not.
If you are ever asked to transfer funds to a card, be sure to verify the identity of the person before sending any money.
How can you protect yourself from Vall-E?
These days, it’s important to be vigilant about who you talk to on the phone. With the advent of voice cloning technology, it’s now possible for scammers to create fake recordings of real people’s voices. This can make it very difficult to tell if you’re speaking to a real person or not.
If you’re ever in doubt, there are a few things you can do to protect yourself. First, try to verify the person’s identity by asking them questions that only the real person would know the answer to. If you’re still not sure, you can tell them you will call them back and call the number you know belongs to them. If you have any doubts, you can ask the person for their name and position. If they are reluctant to give you this information or seem otherwise shady, you can always hang up and call the company they claim to work for to verify their identity.
You should also be aware of the red flags that may indicate you’re speaking to a scammer. Be suspicious if the person asks you to transfer funds to a prepaid card or if they’re using a generic greeting like “Hello, friend.” Hang up the phone immediately if you feel like you’re being scammed.
If you are affected by the VALL-E scam, you should report it to your local police department. It would be good to contact Microsoft to see if you can get a refund to prevent billions of dollars in lawsuits.
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Damir is the team leader, product manager, and editor at Metaverse Post, covering topics such as AI/ML, AGI, LLMs, Metaverse, and Web3-related fields. His articles attract a massive audience of over a million users every month. He appears to be an expert with 10 years of experience in SEO and digital marketing. Damir has been mentioned in Mashable, Wired, Cointelegraph, The New Yorker, Inside.com, Entrepreneur, BeInCrypto, and other publications. He travels between the UAE, Turkey, Russia, and the CIS as a digital nomad. Damir earned a bachelor's degree in physics, which he believes has given him the critical thinking skills needed to be successful in the ever-changing landscape of the internet.
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Damir is the team leader, product manager, and editor at Metaverse Post, covering topics such as AI/ML, AGI, LLMs, Metaverse, and Web3-related fields. His articles attract a massive audience of over a million users every month. He appears to be an expert with 10 years of experience in SEO and digital marketing. Damir has been mentioned in Mashable, Wired, Cointelegraph, The New Yorker, Inside.com, Entrepreneur, BeInCrypto, and other publications. He travels between the UAE, Turkey, Russia, and the CIS as a digital nomad. Damir earned a bachelor's degree in physics, which he believes has given him the critical thinking skills needed to be successful in the ever-changing landscape of the internet.
