Enlarge / Which Steve Jobs is the real one? (credit: Ars Technica)
A voice synthesis company based in Dubai published a fictional podcast interview between Joe Rogan and Steve Jobs using realistic voices digitally cloned from both men. It takes place during the “first episode” of a purported podcast series called “Podcast.ai,” created by Play.ht, which sells voice synthesis services.
In the interview, you first hear a replication of Rogan’s voice created by voice cloning technology similar to that which we’ve covered before on Ars. Deep learning technology has allowed AI models to replicate distinctive voices with a high degree of accuracy, such as in the case of Darth Vader in Disney’s Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series.
To achieve the effect, someone must first train the AI model on existing samples of the voice that will be cloned. Rogan is a prime target for AI voice training by deep learning models because ample quantities of his isolated voice exist on his podcasts. In fact, The Verge covered a PR stunt by an AI company called Dessa synthesizing Rogan in 2019.
