Rep. Wexton, confronting degenerative disease, finds her voice through AI
==========
Rep. Jennifer Wexton, a congresswoman from Virginia, has debuted a new, natural-sounding voice powered by artificial intelligence (AI) as her own voice is weakened by a degenerative medical condition. Wexton had previously used a robotic-sounding speech application to deliver remarks on the House floor, but the new AI voice sounds more like her. She has a Parkinson's-like condition called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and is not seeking reelection this fall due to her health condition. Wexton's staff and colleagues have expressed their excitement and support for her new AI voice. The AI voice model was created by ElevenLabs, an AI voice start-up based in New York, after the company saw a video of Wexton using a text-to-speech app. The company compiled over an hour of audio clips of Wexton speaking before her voice was affected by the disease and used AI to generate a digital version of her voice. Wexton acknowledges the potential dangers of AI technology but also highlights the life-changing opportunities it can provide for Americans with disabilities.
#RepJenniferWexton #ArtificialIntelligence #DegenerativeDisease #VoiceTechnology #Parkinson'sDisease #ProgressiveSupranuclearPalsy #Elevenlabs
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/07/13/virginia-wexton-congress-ai-voice/
The Washington Post /
npub1nw…97m8h
2024-07-13 15:00:57
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2024-07-13 15:00:57Event JSON
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"content": "Rep. Wexton, confronting degenerative disease, finds her voice through AI\n==========\n\nRep. Jennifer Wexton, a congresswoman from Virginia, has debuted a new, natural-sounding voice powered by artificial intelligence (AI) as her own voice is weakened by a degenerative medical condition. Wexton had previously used a robotic-sounding speech application to deliver remarks on the House floor, but the new AI voice sounds more like her. She has a Parkinson's-like condition called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and is not seeking reelection this fall due to her health condition. Wexton's staff and colleagues have expressed their excitement and support for her new AI voice. The AI voice model was created by ElevenLabs, an AI voice start-up based in New York, after the company saw a video of Wexton using a text-to-speech app. The company compiled over an hour of audio clips of Wexton speaking before her voice was affected by the disease and used AI to generate a digital version of her voice. Wexton acknowledges the potential dangers of AI technology but also highlights the life-changing opportunities it can provide for Americans with disabilities.\n\n#RepJenniferWexton #ArtificialIntelligence #DegenerativeDisease #VoiceTechnology #Parkinson'sDisease #ProgressiveSupranuclearPalsy #Elevenlabs\n\nhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/07/13/virginia-wexton-congress-ai-voice/",
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