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An AI startup uses voice authentication to fight deepfake fraud

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An AI startup uses voice authentication to fight deepfake fraud

With the advent of widely available generative AI, scammers are more likely to use deepfakes—voice imitations created with the intention of misleading—to trick victims into disclosing personal information.

Pindrop is a voice authentication startup that says it has the technology and know-how to authenticate users and change users’ content to AI-generated content. The CEO of Pindrop, Vijay Balasubramaniyan, testified before Congress on Wednesday regarding the dangers of deepfakes and the measures Congress should take to prevent them. Balasubramaniyan underlined the immediate negative effects of deepfakes, while many of the panelists concentrated on “superintelligence” or political disinformation.

The Washington Examiner was informed by Balasubramaniyan that “fundamentally, the point was that deepfakes break commerce because businesses can’t trust who’s on the other end.” Is it a machine or a person? Deepfakes distort information because it’s impossible to determine if something was said by Sen. [Chuck] Schumer or by Tom Hanks promoting dental plans. And then deepfakes destroy all contact because, as a grandmother, I have no idea who to trust if I don’t know if it’s my grandkids.”

Balasubramaniyan, Ahamad Mustaque, and Paul Judge founded Pindrop in 2015 with the goal of turning the CEO’s 2011 Ph.D. thesis into a workable product. At the Georgia Institute of Technology, Balasubramaniyan finished his graduate studies with an emphasis on finding characteristics in voice calls that could be used to confirm a user’s identity. The CEO found a number of auditory traits that can be used to create a voice “fingerprint” that can determine its authenticity. It can detect, for instance, whether a call is coming from a specific user’s phone or distinguish between aspects of the sound that are unique to the “shape of your entire vocal tract,” according to the CEO.

Although the startup is still in its early stages, the company said that it has partnerships with a number of large tech companies, such as Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services. Although Pindrop would not disclose its user count, it states that it collaborates with eight of the top ten banks and credit unions, fourteen of the top twenty insurers, and three of the top five brokerages in the US. According to a spokesperson who spoke with the Washington Examiner, Pindrop’s software has also examined over 5.3 billion calls and stopped $2.3 billion in fraud losses.

Although Pindrop is exclusively utilized by for-profit businesses, Balasubramaniyan claimed to have discussed the government’s potential use of its services with multiple Congressmen.

Because AI is a rapidly evolving field, it can be challenging for AI “fact-checkers” to stay current. According to Pindrop, it’s held up pretty well. Microsoft claimed that Pindrop could identify the software 99% of the time when it released the VALL-E large language model.

Fraud based on deepfakes has long been an issue. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on AI and Human Rights over the summer, during which the technology was discussed in front of Congress. In front of the committee, Jennifer Destefano recounted how con artists almost conned her out of $50,000 by using an artificial intelligence (AI) voice clone of her daughter.

Destefano told Congress, “It wasn’t just her voice, it was her cries, it was her sobs.” When her husband assured her that their daughter was safe and with him, the mother almost gave in to the call.

Deepfakes have been directed specifically at seniors. Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) alerted the Federal Trade Commission in May about the use of chatbots and voice clones by con artists to deceive senior citizens into believing they are speaking with a close friend or relative. “In one case, a scammer used this approach to convince an older couple that the scammer was their grandson in desperate need of money to make bail, and the couple almost lost $9,400 before a bank official alerted them to the potential fraud,” the letter stated.

According to a survey conducted by the ID verification service Regula, 37% of worldwide businesses said that they have experienced attempts to access their websites using phony voices. Businesses have also reported being targeted by fake voices.

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Microsoft Expands Copilot Voice and Think Deeper

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Microsoft Expands Copilot Voice and Think Deeper

Microsoft is taking a major step forward by offering unlimited access to Copilot Voice and Think Deeper, marking two years since the AI-powered Copilot was first integrated into Bing search. This update comes shortly after the tech giant revamped its Copilot Pro subscription and bundled advanced AI features into Microsoft 365.

What’s Changing?

Microsoft remains committed to its $20 per month Copilot Pro plan, ensuring that subscribers continue to enjoy premium benefits. According to the company, Copilot Pro users will receive:

  • Preferred access to the latest AI models during peak hours.
  • Early access to experimental AI features, with more updates expected soon.
  • Extended use of Copilot within popular Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

The Impact on Users

This move signals Microsoft’s dedication to enhancing AI-driven productivity tools. By expanding access to Copilot’s powerful features, users can expect improved efficiency, smarter assistance, and seamless integration across Microsoft’s ecosystem.

As AI technology continues to evolve, Microsoft is positioning itself at the forefront of innovation, ensuring both casual users and professionals can leverage the best AI tools available.

Stay tuned for further updates as Microsoft rolls out more enhancements to its AI offerings.

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Google Launches Free AI Coding Tool for Individual Developers

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Google Launches Free AI Coding Tool for Individual Developers

Google has introduced a free version of Gemini Code Assistant, its AI-powered coding assistant, for solo developers worldwide. The tool, previously available only to enterprise users, is now in public preview, making advanced AI-assisted coding accessible to students, freelancers, hobbyists, and startups.

More Features, Fewer Limits

Unlike competing tools such as GitHub Copilot, which limits free users to 2,000 code completions per month, Google is offering up to 180,000 code completions—a significantly higher cap designed to accommodate even the most active developers.

“Now anyone can easily learn, generate code snippets, debug, and modify applications without switching between multiple windows,” said Ryan J. Salva, Google’s senior director of product management.

AI-Powered Coding Assistance

Gemini Code Assist for individuals is powered by Google’s Gemini 2.0 AI model and offers:
Auto-completion of code while typing
Generation of entire code blocks based on prompts
Debugging assistance via an interactive chatbot

The tool integrates with popular developer environments like Visual Studio Code, GitHub, and JetBrains, supporting a wide range of programming languages. Developers can use natural language prompts, such as:
Create an HTML form with fields for name, email, and message, plus a submit button.”

With support for 38 programming languages and a 128,000-token memory for processing complex prompts, Gemini Code Assist provides a robust AI-driven coding experience.

Enterprise Features Still Require a Subscription

While the free tier is generous, advanced features like productivity analytics, Google Cloud integrations, and custom AI tuning remain exclusive to paid Standard and Enterprise plans.

With this move, Google aims to compete more aggressively in the AI coding assistant market, offering developers a powerful and unrestricted alternative to existing tools.

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Elon Musk Unveils Grok-3: A Game-Changing AI Chatbot to Rival ChatGPT

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Elon Musk Unveils Grok-3: A Game-Changing AI Chatbot to Rival ChatGPT

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI has unveiled its latest chatbot, Grok-3, which aims to compete with leading AI models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and China’s DeepSeek. Grok-3 is now available to Premium+ subscribers on Musk’s social media platform x (formerly Twitter) and is also available through xAI’s mobile app and the new SuperGrok subscription tier on Grok.com.

Advanced capabilities and performance

Grok-3 has ten times the computing power of its predecessor, Grok-2. Initial tests show that Grok-3 outperforms models from OpenAI, Google, and DeepSeek, particularly in areas such as math, science, and coding. The chatbot features advanced reasoning features capable of decomposing complex questions into manageable tasks. Users can interact with Grok-3 in two different ways: “Think,” which performs step-by-step reasoning, and “Big Brain,” which is designed for more difficult tasks.

Strategic Investments and Infrastructure

To support the development of Grok-3, xAI has made major investments in its supercomputer cluster, Colossus, which is currently the largest globally. This infrastructure underscores the company’s commitment to advancing AI technology and maintaining a competitive edge in the industry.

New Offerings and Future Plans

Along with Grok-3, xAI has also introduced a logic-based chatbot called DeepSearch, designed to enhance research, brainstorming, and data analysis tasks. This tool aims to provide users with more insightful and relevant information. Looking to the future, xAI plans to release Grok-2 as an open-source model, encouraging community participation and further development. Additionally, upcoming improvements for Grok-3 include a synthesized voice feature, which aims to improve user interaction and accessibility.

Market position and competition

The launch of Grok-3 positions xAI as a major competitor in the AI ​​chatbot market, directly challenging established models from OpenAI and emerging competitors such as DeepSeek. While Grok-3’s performance claims are yet to be independently verified, early indications suggest it could have a significant impact on the AI ​​landscape. xAI is actively seeking $10 billion in investment from major companies, demonstrating its strong belief in their technological advancements and market potential.

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