AI Restores Her Voice Post-Cancer, but Coverage Remains Out Of Reach - 1

Image by Catherine Breslin from Unsplash

AI Restores Her Voice Post-Cancer, but Coverage Remains Out Of Reach

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Generative AI voice technology allowed Sonya Sotinsky to speak again after her cancer surgery took away her voice.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • She used AI to recreate her voice using pre-recorded samples.
  • The AI voice is deployed via a text-to-speech app called Whisper.
  • She pays $99/month for her AI voice and now advocates for broader access.

After being diagnosed with Stage 4 tongue cancer, Sonya Sotinsky underwent a life-saving surgery that removed her tongue, larynx, and voice box. The procedure took away her voice, yet she found a way to maintain her ability to speak.

Sotinsky started voice banking during the five-week period between her diagnosis and surgery. She recorded herself saying everyday phrases and reading children’s books, preserving her unique tone and sarcastic delivery.

“Your voice is your identity,” she said to NPR , which first reported this story. “When you can’t use your voice, it is very, very frustrating,” she added.

The speech technologies available at the time of her surgery, in early 2022, were limited and robotic. Additionally, standard electrolarynx devices failed to work for her because she had no tongue.

But by mid-2024, advances in generative AI had made it possible to replicate natural human voices with far greater accuracy. NPR reports that an AI company developed a custom voice model using her banked recordings. This allowed text-to-speech functionality through the Whisper app on her phone.

The result was striking. Her daughter, Ela Fuentevilla, described the moment: “She got her sass back […] It’s crazy similar,” she told NPR.

However, this level of voice restoration comes at a personal cost. NPR reports that the initial assistive voice technology cost Sotinsky $3,000. She now spends $99 per month for ongoing use.

The health insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, refused to cover the expense. NPR reports that they argued that assistive communication tools do not meet their criteria for medical necessity.

This isn’t the first time AI has played a role in restoring voices. Earlier this year, scientists at Radboud University and UMC Utrecht developed a brain implant that translates neural signals into real-time, natural-sounding speech. The AI model decodes brain waves in just 80 milliseconds and can even replicate a patient’s original voice using pre-injury recordings.

NPR reports that Sotinsky stepped back from her career to advocate for voice banking and improved access to AI-based tools. She works with researchers who hope that clinical trials will help make such technology more accessible, and eventually eligible for insurance coverage.

Brave Browser Blocks Microsoft’s Recall Feature To Protect User Privacy - 2

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Brave Browser Blocks Microsoft’s Recall Feature To Protect User Privacy

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

The Brave Browser blocks Microsoft Recall through its screenshot-logging feature on Windows, as the feature poses major privacy risks to user activity.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default in all browser tabs.
  • Recall takes regular screenshots and stores them in plaintext on PCs.
  • Brave labels every tab as private to prevent Recall screenshots.

The upcoming v1.81 version of Brave will automatically turn off Microsoft Recall on Windows 11 and later. The company says in their announcement that this new feature aims to further protect users’ privacy.

The feature known as Recall was publicly introduced by Microsoft in May 2024. Neowin described it as a “photographic memory” for PC users. Indeed, the system captures frequent snapshots of your activity and stores them in a searchable record.

But experts quickly raised red flags. Critics warned that this “timeline” could be a goldmine for hackers and malware, since the data is stored in a plaintext local database.

“Given Brave’s focus on privacy-maximizing defaults and what is at stake here (your entire browsing history), we have proactively disabled Recall for all Brave tabs,” wrote Brave. “We think it’s vital that your browsing activity on Brave does not accidentally end up in a persistent database.”

While Microsoft says Recall avoids capturing private browser windows, Brave has taken it a step further: it now treats all its tabs as private, effectively making them invisible to Recall.

Signal inspired Brave’s move by using a Digital Rights Management (DRM) flag to block Recall from recording chats. However, Brave’s method avoids the downside of blocking all screenshots, preserving useful functions like screen readers.

Brave acknowledged Microsoft’s efforts to make Recall opt-in after public backlash but remains concerned. “The initial tone-deaf announcement does not inspire confidence,” wrote the team.

Users who want Recall can still toggle the setting off in Brave’s privacy menu.