Voice cloning has left the lab. Soon enough, you might hear your voice and think, Wait, is that me or an AI?
AI isn’t just being used to revive dead rappers or prank your boss with Drake impressions. Scammers are generating voices to fake kidnappings, drain bank accounts and impersonate your kid in crisis.
You don’t need to have a national radio show like me to be at risk. If you’ve ever left a voicemail, been in a podcast or posted a TikTok, congrats, you’re cloneable, and it only takes three to five seconds.
🎭 Your voice is a liability
Your voiceprint is incredibly personal. Research shows it can be as unique as a fingerprint or iris scan, with over 100 distinct vocal traits like pitch, tone, cadence and accent used to identify you.
To the human ear, voices can sound similar. Around 15% of people can be mistaken for someone else in audio recordings. But to an AI? Those subtle vocal quirks are easy to clone, especially with just a few seconds of audio.
It’s weird, dystopian and very much happening.
🗣️ Protect yourself
Here’s how to make sure you don’t get duped by a fake version of yourself (or your loved ones):
🔒 Lock down your privacy settings: Set your videos and voice clips to “friends only” or private. Delete any old uploads you don’t need floating around.
🤫 Treat your voice like a password: Create a family-only “safe word.” Something weird like “don’t forget the goat cheese,” an inside joke or phrase no AI could guess. Agree that no one sends money or help unless that phrase is used.
📵 Limit voice exposure: If the cat’s already out of the bag (mine is), there’s still time to cut back. Use visual voicemail or call-to-text instead of recordings. Skip voice notes in group chats.
🏦 Check your bank’s settings: Some banks automatically opt customers into voiceprint authentication. This means your voice could be used to access your account. Call your bank and ask if you’re enrolled in voice ID. If you are, opt out.
Been voice cloned or know someone who has? Tell me what happened here. I might feature your story on the show.
🍷 Smile time: A guy walks into a bar and orders a round. He hears a small voice say, “You look nice today.” A few minutes later, it’s that voice again, “That’s a nice shirt.” The guy asks the bartender, “Who is that?” Says the bartender, “It’s the peanuts. They’re complimentary!” (Good one, right?)
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