Truecaller is an app that identifies and blocks spam calls that some people prefer over their phone’s default system. Now the service will let users with access to its AI Assistant to record their voice. The company partnered with Microsoft’s Azure AI Speech, which will learn from the recorded clip to generate an AI version of the user’s voice.  

“This groundbreaking capability not only adds a touch of familiarity and comfort for the users but also showcases the power of AI in transforming the way we interact with our digital assistants,” says Truecaller product director and general manager Raphael Mimoun in the blog post. 

Truecaller’s AI Assistant screens incoming calls and lets users know why they are calling. Customers can see the reason for the call and can choose how to respond, either by picking up the phone or having the assistant answer for them. The Assistant, only available in select countries, was first introduced on the Truecaller app in 2022.

Users have always been able to choose from a preset number of voices to represent them, and the company says letting users record their own voices is a step in personalizing the service even more. 

Azure AI Speech, showcased during the Build conference, added a personal voice feature that lets people record and replicate voices. Microsoft says in a blog post, however, that personal voice is available on a limited basis and only for specific use cases like voice assistants. 

Microsoft says it automatically adds watermarks to voices generated by Azure AI Speech’s personal voice. It also released a code of conduct requiring users to get the full consent of people being recorded and prohibit impersonation.

It remains to be seen how well personal voice will perform against your own voicemail message.

Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.

IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:

– OpenAI accused of mimicking Scarlett Johansson, tech company pauses ChatGPT voice
– China unveils its first full-size electric running humanoid robot
– How Nvidia became the king chipmaker: from a Denny’s to $2.3T market cap

Scarlett Johansson. (Getty Images)

‘IN DISBELIEF’: Scarlett Johansson is “angered and in disbelief” by tech company OpenAI over its ChatGPT app’s voice, Sky, noting it uses a voice very similar to hers.

NVIDIA’S RISE: Wall Street is eagerly awaiting the latest earnings report Wednesday from Nvidia, which has experienced rapid growth amid the boom in artificial intelligence technology.

Tiangong, the humanoid robot (CMG)

ELECTRIC RUNNING ROBOT: Standing as tall as an average human and powered by a symphony of sensors and processors, Tiangong has the ability to jog at a steady pace, navigate complex terrain and perform tasks with precision. Tiangong represents a future where robots could possibly become our companions, helpers and perhaps even our friends.

GOOGLE’S BIG REVEALS: Google’s flagship developer conference called I/O just wrapped up with interesting leaps in how the Big Tech giant is planning to change the world. 

Google’s I/O 2024 conference  (Google)

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Nintendo’s Super Mario Maker series of games lets you create your own sidescrolling platformer levels using sprites and 3D objects from several entries in the franchise. It’s created a deeply devoted fan base, but it’s only ever let you make sidescrolling levels. Now, a pair of fans have changed that with Mario Builder 64, a new way to make and play your own Super Mario 64 levels — and do so on Nintendo 64 hardware.

It’s technically a ROM hack, but the term doesn’t really capture what this is. The developers, Arthurtilly and rovertronic, describe it as “a toolbox letting you fulfill all of your SM64 dreams.” Just like the Super Mario Maker series, it lets you create your own levels using a special creator interface that borrows a lot from Minecraft, giving you low-res textured (this is the N64 after all) cubes that you can drop in place.

You can also decide what music you want, place items and villains, and even play with Mario 64 conventions. For instance, there’s no hard limit on how many red coins you can require players to collect to get a star.

To use it, you have to patch a Mario 64 ROM file yourself. The developers have a guide for doing so (in addition to the video above), and you’ll need an emulator or an actual Nintendo 64 to play the game with the Builder 64 modifications in place. As Engadget points out, you can do that with a flashcart that supports SD cards — several options are listed in the guide linked above.

I haven’t been able to play around with Mario Builder 64 just yet, but I’m eager to do so as soon as life affords me the time. It looks like a blast, judging by this video from the Good Vibes Gaming YouTube channel. As pointed out in that video, you can download other user-created levels from Level Share Square, a site that hosts levels made for various fan-made Mario level creators.

To be fair, Yuzu let people play Tears of the Kingdom before it was released, and people used Garry’s Mod to turn Super Mario 64 into a first-person shooter, which Nintendo probably wasn’t thrilled about. Mario Builder 64 is just doing Super Mario 64 stuff, so maybe it gets a pass, but that probably depends on Nintendo’s plans for the Mario Maker series, which could easily involve something just like Mario Builder 64.