Microsoft Teases Voice Cloning, Real-Time Translation for Teams Meetings

Microsoft will soon launch an AI agent in Teams that will allow users to clone their voice and translate their speech in real-time, the company announced at its Ignite event.

“Imagine being able to sound just like you in a different language,” says Microsoft CMO Jared Spataro. “The ‘Interpreter’ agent in Teams provides real-time speech-to-speech interpretation during meetings, and you can opt to have it simulate your speaking voice for a more personal and engaging experience.”

The public preview of the Interpreter will be available to Microsoft 365 subscribers in early 2025. According to TechCrunch, it will be able to simulate voices in nine languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. 

Interpreter won’t store any biometric data or change the tone of what someone’s saying, Microsoft tells TechCrunch. “Voice simulation can only be enabled when users provide consent via a notification during the meeting or by enabling ‘Voice simulation consent’ in settings.”

Video-conferencing services have experimented with real-time language translation for years, including Microsoft-owned Skype almost a decade ago. Zoom and Google Meet have done the same, with varying degrees of success. AI has renewed the push for real-time translation, with Samsung adding live-translate options for its phones and wearables this year. Last month, Google also showed off AI-powered live translations for Chromebooks.

It’s all still a work in progress. OpenAI’s transcription tool, Whisper, was found to provide inaccurate responses eight out of 10 times. Microsoft uses the Whisper model for its Azure AI Speech service but warns users that it isn’t ideal for “sensitive or high-risk applications.”