People have tried plenty of ways to speak to the dead through the ages – seances, Ouija boards, psychic hotlines – but we have to admit, Alexa is a new one.
At an Amazon conference in Las Vegas, the tech giant, which we’re still not sure isn’t a front organisation for Bond villains, showed off new technology that would allow the Alexa voice assistant to perfectly mimic anyone’s voice… even the voices of the dearly departed.
In a video, a boy can be heard asking “Alexa, can Grandma finish reading me The Wizard of Oz?”, at which point Alexa starts reading aloud in the voice of his relative.
Rohit Prasad, senior vice president and head scientist for Alexa at Amazon, said that a voice model can be created from “less than a minute” of audio recording; while it can be used to mimic the voices of the living, he also noted that it could preserve the voice of someone who has passed away.
“While AI can’t eliminate that pain of loss, it can definitely make the memories last,” he said, though did not mention when the new feature may become available.
We just hope that when it does, we won’t have to call the Alexorcist.
