Truecaller and Microsoft to let users replicate own voice to answer calls

Caller ID company Truecaller has announced a partnership with Microsoft to utilise a new personal voice technology from Microsoft Azure AI Speech. With the help of Microsoft Azure AI Speech Personal Voice, users can record digital versions of their own voice within the Truecaller application and use it to answer calls.

Truecaller introduced an AI assistant feature in 2022 that can automatically answer phone calls, screen calls, and take messages. This feature allows customers to see the reason for the call and choose how to respond or record it for later use. Previously, users had to choose from a preset number of voice assistants to represent them.

Now, alongside the existing assistants, users can replicate their own voice, providing callers with a more personalised experience. Truecaller's Product Director and General Manager, Raphael Mimoun said, "By integrating Microsoft Azure AI Speech’s personal voice capability into Truecaller, we've taken a significant step towards delivering a truly personalised and engaging communication experience."

In a blog post, Microsoft stated that the personal voice feature is available on a limited basis and for specific uses such as voice assistants. At the Microsoft Build conference, a demo video was shared, which is embedded towards the end of this article.

What is Microsoft Azure AI Speech?

Launched in November 2023, the personal voice feature allows users to create and use their own AI voices within apps. It has limited access and includes watermarks. In addition to voice assistants, it can be used for speech translation and creating content.