February 1, 2023
Following an increase in the number of voice cloning misuse cases, ElevenLabs, the startup that provides voice cloning technology has announced additional safeguards it will be introducing to the platform.
Stopping free users from creating custom voices, launching a tool to detect AI-generated audio, and banning accounts reported for creating harmful content are among the safeguards.
Motherboard first reported on ElevenLabs software abuse when it discovered posters on 4chan sharing AI generated voice clips that sounded like celebrities like Emma Watson and Joe Rogan.
ElevenLabs tweeted shortly after the clips went viral on 4chan that; “Crazy weekend—thank you to everyone for trying out our Beta platform. While we see our tech being overwhelmingly applied to positive use, we also see an increasing number of voice cloning misuse cases.”
According to Motherboard, one 4Chan user posted a voice that sounded exactly like Emma Watson reading a section of Hitler’s “Mein Kampf,” while another used a Ben Shapiro-esque voice to make “racist remarks” about US House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
ElevenLabs added that, while it can trace any generated audio back to a specific user, it was looking into additional safeguards. These include requiring payment information or “full ID identification” before performing voice cloning, as well as manually verifying each voice cloning request.
The sources for this piece include an article in Vice.
