News/Voice
GPTWrap not so supreme: Taco Bell rethinks AI drive-thru after customer trolling exposes flaws
Taco Bell is reconsidering its AI drive-thru strategy after customers began trolling the system and sharing their frustrations on social media. The fast-food chain has deployed AI voice assistants in over 500 locations across the US, but Chief Digital and Technology Officer Dane Mathews admits the technology isn't performing as expected, particularly at busy restaurants. What they're saying: Taco Bell's tech chief is being candid about the AI system's mixed performance. "We're learning a lot, I'm going to be honest with you," Mathews told The Wall Street Journal. "I think like everybody, sometimes it lets me down, but sometimes it...
read Aug 26, 2025Sneaky Peek: Halo X smart glasses record conversations without consent, raising privacy concerns
Harvard dropouts AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardayfio have unveiled Halo X, AI-powered smart glasses that continuously record and transcribe every conversation while providing real-time AI insights to users. The device has sparked widespread backlash on social media, with critics condemning it as a dystopian surveillance tool that threatens privacy and could further erode critical thinking skills. What makes this controversial: Unlike Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, the Halo X deliberately omits visual indicators that would alert others when they're being recorded. Co-founder Nguyen told Futurism their core difference is "we aim to literally record everything in your life, and we think...
read Aug 22, 2025Apple explores Google partnership to power next-generation Siri
Apple is exploring partnerships with Google to power the next-generation Siri, with the tech giant conducting an internal "bake-off" between different AI models to determine the best approach. This development comes as Apple faces significant delays in delivering its promised AI-powered Siri redesign, originally announced for iOS 18 but now pushed to spring 2026. What you should know: Apple has approached Google to explore building a custom Gemini-based AI model that would run on Apple's servers to power the new Siri experience. Google has already begun training a model specifically designed to operate on Apple's infrastructure, according to Bloomberg's Mark...
read Aug 22, 2025Um, about that dismissal: Commonwealth Bank rehires 45 workers after AI voice bots fail
Australia's Commonwealth Bank was forced to rehire 45 customer service workers after replacing them with AI voice bots that failed to handle the workload effectively. The embarrassing reversal highlights the risks of premature AI implementation and adds to growing evidence that many businesses are regretting their decisions to replace human workers with artificial intelligence. What happened: Commonwealth Bank, one of Australia's largest banks, initially announced the job cuts as part of an effort to automate customer service and reduce call volumes, leaving only a small team to handle complex inquiries. The bank's AI voice bot was supposed to handle routine...
read Aug 20, 2025Google replaces Assistant with Gemini on Home devices this October
Google is replacing Google Assistant with its more advanced AI model Gemini on Google Home devices starting in October, marking a significant upgrade to the company's smart home ecosystem. The transition will bring more natural language processing and enhanced integration capabilities to devices like the Google Nest Hub, potentially transforming how users interact with their connected homes. What you should know: Gemini will be available for both free and paid Google Home users, though specific pricing and feature tiers haven't been announced yet. The update launches in early access in October, with Google promising to "share more details soon" about...
read Aug 18, 2025Lawsuit accuses Otter.ai of secretly recording 25M users for AI training
A federal class-action lawsuit filed against Otter.ai accuses the popular AI transcription service of secretly recording and processing millions of users' private conversations without proper consent to train its artificial intelligence systems. The suit, filed in California federal court, alleges that Otter's default settings allow it to record virtual meetings without alerting all participants, potentially violating state and federal privacy and wiretapping laws. What you should know: The lawsuit centers on Otter Notebook's automatic recording capabilities during virtual meetings across major platforms. Plaintiff Justin Brewer of San Jacinto, California claims his privacy was "severely invaded" when Otter secretly recorded a...
read Aug 14, 2025Microsoft plans AI-powered Windows to promote hands-free PC experience
Microsoft corporate VP Pavan Davuluri outlined the company's vision for transforming Windows into a voice and vision-driven operating system that could eventually reduce reliance on traditional peripherals like mice and keyboards. Speaking in a video released Wednesday, Davuluri emphasized how generative AI will enable new multimodal interaction methods, suggesting a fundamental shift in how users engage with their computers over the next five years. The big picture: Microsoft envisions Windows evolving beyond traditional input methods toward AI-powered interfaces that can understand speech, visual content, and user intent contextually. What they're saying: Davuluri described the scope of these interface changes during...
read Aug 14, 2025Y Combinator startup uses voice AI to save 76% of abandoned-in-process loans
Two entrepreneurs from Y Combinator have developed Qualify.bot, a conversational AI platform designed to streamline the commercial lending process using voice technology. The platform addresses a critical industry problem where up to 76% of loan applications are abandoned before completion, representing billions in lost business opportunities for both lenders and borrowers seeking capital. The big picture: Voice AI is emerging as a transformative technology for complex business processes, with lending serving as an ideal testing ground due to its combination of high-stakes decision-making and standardized procedures. Why this matters: Commercial loan abandonment rates can exceed 76%, meaning countless entrepreneurs are...
read Aug 13, 2025AI brain implant restores speech to locked-in stroke survivor after 18 years
UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco researchers have successfully restored speech to Ann Johnson, a woman who lost the ability to speak after a brainstem stroke 18 years ago, using an AI-powered brain-computer interface. The breakthrough technology translates brain activity into speech in real-time, offering hope for people with locked-in syndrome and potentially transforming accessibility in the workforce and beyond. What you should know: Johnson suffered a brainstem stroke at age 30 in 2005 that left her with locked-in syndrome—a rare condition causing near-complete paralysis and loss of speech while leaving cognitive abilities intact. She joined the clinical trial in...
read Aug 11, 2025Still not getting it: Apple delays Siri overhaul to 2026 amid App Intents struggles
Apple's ambitious plan to transform Siri into a truly intelligent assistant is facing significant technical hurdles, with the company now targeting spring 2026 for a comprehensive overhaul that could finally deliver on promises made nearly two years ago. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a respected Apple analyst who frequently reports on the company's internal developments, Apple is making progress on what it calls an "overhauled" Siri experience. However, engineers are struggling with a critical component called App Intents—a feature designed to let Siri take meaningful actions across different applications on behalf of users. The stakes couldn't be higher for Apple....
read Aug 7, 2025British MP’s AI avatar struggles with Yorkshire accents
Leeds MP Mark Sewards has launched what's billed as the first AI avatar of a British MP, allowing constituents to interact with a digital version that responds in his voice. However, testing by The Guardian revealed significant limitations when the AI encountered Yorkshire accents and local dialect, highlighting ongoing challenges with voice recognition technology for regional speech patterns. How it works: The "Sewardsbot" features a Pixar-style cartoon representation of the Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley that can field questions from constituents.• The AI responds in Sewards' actual voice, offering advice, support, or promising to pass messages to...
read Jul 30, 2025Euro voice actors have a Eurovision for regulation as AI threatens $4.3B industry
European voice actors are mobilizing against artificial intelligence as the technology threatens to disrupt the $4.3 billion dubbing industry, with industry associations calling for EU regulation to protect jobs and artistic rights. The pushback comes as streaming giants like Netflix experiment with AI dubbing solutions while the global dubbing market is projected to reach $7.6 billion by 2033. What you should know: Voice actors across Europe are demanding legislative protection as AI dubbing technology becomes more sophisticated and cost-effective. Boris Rehlinger, the French voice of Ben Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix, leads the TouchePasMaVF initiative to protect human-created dubbing from AI...
read Jul 28, 2025Microsoft launches Copilot Mode with voice control for Edge
Microsoft has launched Copilot Mode, an experimental AI-powered browsing feature for Edge that transforms how users interact with web content through voice commands, tab awareness, and task automation. The free feature positions Microsoft to compete directly with AI-enhanced browsers from Google and other tech giants while reimagining the traditional web browsing experience. What you should know: Copilot Mode replaces Edge's new-tab page with a simplified AI-powered interface that can access and analyze information across all open tabs.• Users can ask Copilot to compare restaurant options, find the soonest availability, most affordable choice, or closest location across multiple tabs without manual...
read Jul 28, 2025Microsoft’s Copilot Mode lets AI see all your browser tabs
Microsoft has launched Copilot Mode, an experimental feature for its Edge browser that gives the company's AI assistant comprehensive visibility across all open browser tabs. This opt-in functionality represents Microsoft's latest move in the intensifying competition to integrate artificial intelligence directly into web browsing experiences. Unlike traditional AI assistants that operate in isolation, Copilot Mode can observe and analyze activity across multiple browser tabs simultaneously, offering contextual suggestions and automated assistance based on your browsing patterns. The feature is currently available for Windows and Mac users in regions where Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant operates. How Copilot Mode transforms browsing When...
read Jul 28, 2025“Mrs. Doubtfire” star Matthew Lawrence proposes AI revival of Robin Williams’ voice
Matthew Lawrence, who starred as a child in "Mrs. Doubtfire" alongside Robin Williams, has expressed interest in using artificial intelligence to resurrect the late comedian's voice for modern applications. Lawrence shared his vision at Comic-Con, emphasizing that any such project would require approval from Williams' family and would honor the actor's iconic legacy. What he's proposing: Lawrence envisions multiple ways AI could bring Williams' distinctive voice back to life for contemporary uses. He suggested Williams could provide driving directions on phones, saying "It would be Robin! It would be so cool. I'm telling you." The idea was sparked by an...
read Jul 22, 2025AI voice cloning in public and private life defeats security as Altman warns of fraud crisis
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned that the world faces an impending "fraud crisis" driven by AI's ability to enable sophisticated impersonation scams, particularly through voice and video cloning technologies. His comments, delivered during a Federal Reserve interview on Tuesday, highlight growing concerns about AI-powered fraud as authentication systems struggle to keep pace with rapidly advancing synthetic media capabilities. What you should know: Current authentication methods are already being defeated by AI technologies, creating immediate security vulnerabilities.• "AI has fully defeated most of the ways that people authenticate currently, other than passwords," Altman said, specifically criticizing financial institutions that still rely...
read Jul 22, 2025Amazon acquires Bee’s $49.99 AI wearable for conversation tracking
Amazon is acquiring Bee, a startup that makes a $49.99 AI-powered wearable device that continuously listens to and transcribes conversations to generate daily summaries and insights. The acquisition signals Amazon's push into personal AI wearables, though the device has faced accuracy challenges in distinguishing real conversations from background media. What you should know: Bee's wearable functions like a Fitbit but focuses on audio processing rather than fitness tracking. The device transcribes conversations between users and people around them, creating personalized daily summaries, reminders, and suggestions through the Bee app. Users can grant the device access to emails, contacts, location data,...
read Jul 18, 2025“Nobody could convince me it wasn’t her.” AI voice cloning scam costs Florida mom $15K.
A Florida woman was conned out of $15,000 by scammers who used artificial intelligence to clone her daughter's voice, convincing her that her daughter had killed someone in a car accident. The sophisticated scam highlights the growing threat of AI-powered voice cloning technology in criminal schemes, where scammers can now replicate loved ones' voices with alarming accuracy to exploit family bonds and trigger panic-driven financial decisions. How the scam unfolded: Sharon Brightwell received a call last Wednesday from what appeared to be her daughter April Monroe's phone number, with an AI-cloned voice claiming she had hit a pregnant woman while...
read Jul 17, 2025Mistral’s Le Chat adds voice features to compete with OpenAI
French AI startup Mistral has launched new features for its chatbot Le Chat, including voice interaction and research capabilities, as it attempts to compete with dominant US rivals like OpenAI and Google. The updates bring Europe's AI champion closer to feature parity with American competitors, though Mistral continues to lag significantly in market share and revenue despite its $6.2 billion valuation. What you should know: The new features make Le Chat more competitive with established US chatbots by adding voice interaction and research tools. Users can now speak to Mistral's AI through its "Voxtral" model instead of only typing messages....
read Jul 17, 2025Adobe launches AI filmmaking tools with voice-powered sound generation
Adobe has launched new generative AI filmmaking tools that allow users to create sound effects using voice recordings of silly noises and control video generation with reference footage. The tools, available in beta on the Firefly app, provide filmmakers with more intuitive ways to generate custom audio and video content compared to traditional text-only prompts. How the sound effects tool works: The Generate Sound Effects feature lets users record onomatopoeia-like sounds that are synchronized with video footage to create realistic audio effects. Users can play a video of a horse walking and simultaneously record "clip clop" noises in time with...
read Jul 16, 2025Watch out secretaries, Google’s AI assistant now makes business calls for users nationwide
Google has launched a new AI-powered feature that allows users across the United States to have artificial intelligence make phone calls to local businesses on their behalf. The service, now available through Google Search, enables users to request pricing and availability information from businesses like pet groomers, dry cleaners, and auto shops without having to make the calls themselves. How it works: Google's Gemini model uses Duplex technology to conduct business calls, announcing itself as an AI assistant representing a customer. Users can select "have AI check pricing" from business listings in Search results for supported service types. The system...
read Jul 16, 2025Mistral releases Voxtral, an open-source voice AI that challenges paid alternatives
Mistral has released Voxtral, an open-source voice AI model that goes beyond basic transcription to offer summarization and speech-triggered functions, challenging paid alternatives from companies like ElevenLabs and Hume AI. The Apache 2.0-licensed model comes in 24B and 3B parameter versions, with Mistral claiming it bridges the gap between proprietary speech recognition systems and existing open-source alternatives that often lack semantic understanding. What you should know: Voxtral offers comprehensive voice processing capabilities that extend far beyond traditional transcription services. The model can process up to 30 minutes of audio for transcription or 40 minutes for audio understanding with a 32K...
read Jul 15, 2025$159 AI voice recorder transforms note-taking with GPT-4o transcription
Jack Wallen, a contributing writer at ZDNET, has reviewed the Plaud Note, a $159 AI-powered voice recorder that combines hardware and software to transcribe and summarize voice recordings. The device transforms traditional voice note-taking by automatically syncing recordings to a mobile app that uses GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet to generate transcriptions and AI-powered summaries, though these features require a separate paid subscription. What you should know: The Plaud Note is a credit card-sized recording device that offers one-press recording with advanced AI capabilities for transcription and summarization. The device costs $159 and works with both Android and iOS apps,...
read Jul 14, 2025Battle of the Clone: Voice actors win court battle against AI voice cloning startup
A federal judge in New York has allowed a lawsuit from voice-over artists Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage to proceed against AI voice startup Lovo Inc., which allegedly used their voices without permission to create AI voice clones. The decision marks a significant development in the growing wave of litigation against AI companies over unauthorized use of creative work, potentially setting precedent for how courts handle voice rights in the age of artificial intelligence. What you should know: The judge dismissed federal copyright claims for the voices themselves but allowed breach of contract and deceptive business practices claims to...
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