The Linux Foundation is teaming up with companies like Target, Microsoft and Veritone to create the Open Voice Network, an initiative designed to "prioritize trust and standards" in voice-focused technology. Linux Foundation representatives said the Open Voice Network would support the platforms by "delivering standards and usage guidelines for voice assistant systems that are trustworthy, inclusive and open." . Jon Stine, executive director of the Open Voice Network, told ZDNet that the rapid growth of both the availability and adoption of voice assistance worldwide -- and the future potential of voice as an interface and data source in an artificial intelligence-driven world -- makes it important for certain standards to be communally developed. Devices and applications are increasingly incorporating voice activation and navigation functions. Mike Dolan, senior vice president at the Linux Foundation, said the network was a "proactive response to combating deep fakes in AI-based voice technology." . The Voice Technology Consortium seeks to establish benchmarks for reliable, accessible voice solutions alongside prominent industry collaborators.. Voice Technology Standards, Open Voice Network, AI Voice Standards, Trustworthy Solutions. . Brittany Day
Bringing an assistant into the phone calls of customers to help with a restaurant booking is an idea fraught with privacy concerns. Australian telco Optus recently opened a privacy can of worms when the company introduced internally a live-transcription service that captures the phone call interaction between customers and a call centre officer. What is your opinion on this technology and its potential privacy implications? Learn more in an interesting ZDNet article: . Seow Yoke Kong, Optus vice president of IT, has labelled the feature as assisting the human by taking notes from the phone call. The human still has to confirm the notes are accurate, however, but Seow said it saves the officer around five minutes not having to take their own notes. "At the end of day [it] is a summary of what are the follow up actions required … essentially an assistant to help them take notes," he said, speaking with media about the feature during last month's Red Hat Forum in Melbourne. The link for this article located at ZDNet is no longer available. . Optus' new programmable voice features raise major privacy concerns, requiring thorough scrutiny of data collection practices and user trust implications. Programmable Voice, Telecommunication, Privacy Issues, Customer Service, Live Transcription. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Get the latest Linux and open source security news straight to your inbox.