AI fools voice recognition used to verify identity by Australian tax office (opens in new tab)

I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me how deepfakes (of voices and faces) are anything other than a dangerous weapon that a tiny group of people will profit from.

There are no ethical use cases for these things other than resurrecting dead celebrities (which is itself morally fraught).

This doesn't feel so futuristic anymore:

T-800, speaking to John Connor in normal voice: "What's the dog's name?"

John Connor: "Max."

T-800, impersonating John, on the phone with T-1000: "Hey Janelle, what's wrong with Wolfie? I can hear him barking. Is he all right?"

T-1000, impersonating John's foster mother, Janelle: "Wolfie's fine, honey. Wolfie's just fine. Where are you?"

T-800 hangs up the phone and says to John in normal voice: "Your foster parents are dead."

Voice recognition seems like a terrible verification solution, especially over a low quality phone connection. I'm shocked at the growing frequency of these kinds of stories exposing that sensitive information is protected using it.