{"id":2294047,"date":"2024-07-13T13:15:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-13T17:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-congresswoman-now-only-speaks-via-ai-generated-voice-after-being-diagnosed-with-rare-disease\/"},"modified":"2024-07-13T13:18:55","modified_gmt":"2024-07-13T17:18:55","slug":"dem-congresswoman-now-only-speaks-via-ai-generated-voice-after-being-diagnosed-with-rare-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-congresswoman-now-only-speaks-via-ai-generated-voice-after-being-diagnosed-with-rare-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Dem Congresswoman Now Only Speaks Via AI-Generated Voice After Being Diagnosed With Rare Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdem-congresswoman-now-only-speaks-via-ai-generated-voice-after-being-diagnosed-with-rare-disease%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2294047&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton of Virginia, who is facing a\u2064 terminal illness, recently released a video in which \u200bartificial intelligence technology\u2062 allows her to\u200d reproduce her voice from before her diagnosis.\u2064 Wexton, who will not seek re-election due to her condition, \u2062hopes \u2063that this new technology will empower individuals facing similar health challenges. Despite acknowledging the potential misuse \u2062of AI, \u2064Wexton believes that it can \u200coffer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/like-a-bad-joke-female-competitor-reacts-to-trans-weightlifter-competing-in-olympic-games\/\" title=\"\u2018Like A Bad Joke\u2019: Female Competitor Reacts To Trans Weightlifter Competing In Olympic Games\">life-changing opportunities<\/a> for people \u2063with disabilities. By\u2063 working with a company called ElevenLabs, Wexton was \u2062able to create a voice model based on old clips of her speeches. She emphasizes the importance of consent in using this technology to avoid potential issues. The AI-generated voice may not \u200dbe an exact\u200c replica of Wexton&#8217;s original voice, but\u200b it represents a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-controlled-house-passes-1-9-trillion-stimulus-bill-two-dems-vote-against-it\/\" title=\"Democrat-Controlled House Passes .9 Trillion Stimulus Bill; Two Dems Vote Against It\">significant step forward<\/a> in maintaining her ability to \u2064communicate effectively.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"> <?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/news\/\">  News <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/russdavis\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/russdavis\/%20\"><span>Jack Davis<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   July 13, 2024 at 8:55am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton of Virginia is in the final months of a congressional career cut short by a rare disease that will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tim-kaine-compares-parents-who-raise-hell-at-school-board-meetings-to-jan-6-rioters\/\" title=\"Tim Kaine likens vocal parents at school board meetings to Jan. 6 rioters\">eventually cut short<\/a> her life as well.<\/p>\n<p>But this week, she released a video in which artificial intelligence allows her to sound the way she did when her political future was an endless road leading onward.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, Wexton, elected to Congress in 2022, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/going-die-dem-congresswoman-announces-retirement-diagnosed-rare-disorder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> that she would not be seeking re-election due to her diagnosis with Progressive Supra-nuclear Palsy, type-p (PSP-P), a rare type of Atypical Parkinsonism. Prior to the announcement she sat for an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2023\/09\/18\/jennifer-wexton-parkinsons-diagnosis-progressive-supranuclear-palsy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In the course of the interview, Wexton spoke to a friend, assuring her friend, \u201cit\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wexton, however, also offered a very different comment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not okay. It\u2019s not okay at all \u2026 I\u2019m going to die, which isn\u2019t fair,\u201d she said then.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s hard for me to speak in a way that people can understand and that they want to listen to \u2026 I hate the way I sound now. I always have to think about slowing down and enunciating,\u201d she said then.<\/p>\n<p>That all changed in a video <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepWexton\/status\/1811089786871877748\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wexton posted to X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Your ears aren\u2019t deceiving you\u2014AI has allowed me to make a new model of my voice like it was before my PSP.<\/p>\n<p>I hope this helps show creative ways we can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-congresswoman-with-brain-disorder-uses-ai-to-speak-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Virginia congresswoman with brain disorder uses AI to speak - Washington Examiner\">empower people facing<\/a> the kinds of health and accessibility challenges I have and demonstrate our abilities don\u2019t define us. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ztXDjCgi63\">pic.twitter.com\/ztXDjCgi63<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rep. Jennifer Wexton (@RepWexton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepWexton\/status\/1811089786871877748?\">July 10, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cYour ears aren\u2019t deceiving you\u2014AI has allowed me to make a new model of my voice like it was before my PSP. I hope this helps show creative ways we can empower people facing the kinds of health and accessibility challenges I have and demonstrate our abilities don\u2019t define us,\u201d she posted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor those of you who heard me speak before PSP robbed me of my full voice, you may think your ears are deceiving you right now,\u201d Wexton says in the video. \u00a0\u201cI assure you, they are not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wexton continued: \u201cI\u2019m very pleased to debut my new AI voice today, and share how this remarkable technology has helped empower me to keep living my life, and doing the job I love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dem-congresswoman-says-parkinsons-steroids-will-finish-term\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wexton<\/a> said old clips of her speeches were used to create her new \u201cvoice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSince I first began using an augmentative and alternative communication \u2013 or AAC \u2013 device for speeches on the House floor and in committee, I\u2019ve received an outpouring of supportive messages from disability rights advocates about the importance of demonstrating that just because people like me may not be able to use our voices in the same way, doesn\u2019t mean our words are any less ours or any less important to hear,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n<p>Wexton did note, however, that AI can still be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/big-tech-company-developing-artificial-intelligence-control-traffic-lights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">misused<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAI technology can be a scary new frontier, especially if used in the wrong way by people with malicious intentions and it\u2019s clear that there\u2019s work to be done to properly protect against potential dangers it poses,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>In a written comment to the Post, she added that \u201cit\u2019s scary to think about the bad things that someone with bad intentions could do with this technology.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut it can also provide new, unimaginable and life-changing opportunities for Americans with disabilities,\u201d Wexton noted.<\/p>\n<p>Wexton told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2024\/07\/13\/virginia-wexton-congress-ai-voice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Post<\/a> that \u201cit will never be \u2018me,\u2019 but it\u2019s more me than I or anyone around me ever thought we\u2019d hear again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wexton said she limits who on her staff can access the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/elon-musk-doubles-free-speech-offers-ominous-warning-artificial-intelligence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AI<\/a> tool \u201cbecause using my voice to say something without my consent could cause real problems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wexton worked with a company called ElevenLabs, which took only a few days to generate the voice model after receiving the files of Wexton\u2019s speeches.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur model is able to understand the relations between words and to adjust delivery based on context \u2026 to produce lifelike, human-sounding speech,\u201d Sam Sklar, a spokesman for ElevenLabs, said<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-apitype=\"text\" data-contentid=\"J3UY4KFHR5DLHIRSPGYXEONVSM\" data-el=\"text\" data-scroll-pos=\"21\" data-scroll-measured=\"true\">Wexton\u2019s office pays a subscription fee for the product, McCartney said.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>An Important Message from Our Staff:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>In just a few months, the world is going to change forever. The 2024 election is the single most important election of our lifetime. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We here at The Western Journal are committed to covering it in a way the establishment media simply will not: We will tell the truth, and they will lie.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>But Big Tech and the elites don\u2019t want the truth out. That\u2019s why they have cut us off from 90% of advertisers. Imagine if someone cut your monthly income by 90%. That\u2019s what they\u2019ve done to people like us. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>As a staff, we are asking you to <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to fight this once-in-a-lifetime fight. Without you not only will The Western Journal fail, but America will fail also. As Benjamin Franklin said, \u201cWe must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Will you support The Western Journal today and <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>become a member<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>A Western Journal <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Membership<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content \u2014 news, commentary, and premium articles. You\u2019ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America\u2019s soul in 2024.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>This is the time. America will live or die based on what happens this year. Please <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to get the real truth out and to fight the elites, Big Tech, and the people who want America to fail. Together, we really can save the country.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Thank you for your support!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>P.S. <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Please stand with us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton of Virginia, who is battling a rare disease that will eventually take her life, recently released a video using artificial intelligence to recreate her voice from before her diagnosis. This technology has empowered her to continue her work and show that disabilities do not define a person. Wexton acknowledges the potential misuse of AI but believes it can also provide life-changing opportunities for individuals with disabilities. She worked with a company to create her new voice model, which has been well-received by supporters. The article also includes a message urging readers to support The Western Journal in covering the upcoming 2024 election<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":661,"featured_media":2294048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/wexton.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34913,15554,34912,7154,34914],"class_list":["post-2294047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ai-generated-voice","tag-communication","tag-dem-congresswoman","tag-diagnosis","tag-rare-disease"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/wexton.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/661"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2294047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2294048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2294047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2294047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2294047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}