Calling in sick to work is awkward, but sometimes it's got to be done.
But what if you could call in sick without actually having to do the talking?
Newshub's Ben O'Connor tried out one of the "most realistic artificial voices in the world" to see if it could trick his manager into believing an artificial voice was the real thing.
- Is artificial intelligence a threat to humanity?
- Will your job be replaced by artificial intelligence?
- How the rise in AI has helped the visually impaired
Using Canadian firm Lyrebird's technology, Ben created a voice recording that actually managed to convince his boss it was him calling in sick over the phone.
Sure, it sounds bit creepy, but at least it works, right?
Lyrebird can create digital voices that sound like you with only one minute of recorded audio. The company says its technology is "still at its early stage" but it will "improve fast and become widespread in years - it is inevitable".
Google has also entered the AI voice arena. The company has begun testing its Duplex software behind its new automated system that makes phone calls on your behalf with more "natural" sounding artificial voices.
The search engine giant says it plans to start public trials of the technology now that some businesses have opted into receiving calls from Duplex. People will be able to book reservations at restaurants "later this summer" Google says.
But even though artificial voice technology is pretty cool (and great for a prank) it raises questions over the ethics and privacy implications of using an AI assistant to hold lifelike conversations in place of people.
In fact, Lyrebird says it wants to raise public awareness about audio used in media to trick people into believing famous figures said things that they actually didn't.
For example, remember the Barack Obama video in April that fooled people into believing he called Donald Trump a "total and complete dips**t"?
The video's audio was actually actor and comedian Jordan Peele who backed the PSA to warn people against the proliferation of fake news.
The realism of artificial voices are getting so real these days people are freaking out.
"I've been shrieking like a 13-year-old little girl for the past hour hearing Robo-Ken read famous quotes to me," said a Twitter user after discovering Lyrebird technology.
There's no doubt about it: artificial intelligence is a powerful medium and it's getting more sophisticated and widespread which has only increased concerns around misinformation.
Stay woke, folks.
Newshub.
