ID R&D has been issued a US patent for a system covering the “Method and Device for Unlocking a User Device by Voice” (US 11,941,097 B2). Credited to Konstantin Simonchik, the company’s co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, the patent is aimed at securing voice-based device interaction through the use of voice biometrics and anti-spoofing techniques.
In announcing the patent approval, the Mitek Systems company emphasized the growing role of voice interaction in the Internet of Things and various smart devices. The trend has been underway for several years, but is now accelerating thanks to the growing prominence of generative AI systems, which are making use of their advanced conversational capabilities.
These trends underscore the need for strong authentication, especially in light of the readily available tools enabling fraudsters to create realistic deepfakes of both faces and voices.
“As a founder and biometrics veteran, I recognize that innovative technology is crucial for streamlining user experience and providing robust protection against fraud and unauthorized access, particularly in the voice domain,” explained ID R&D President Alexey Khitrov. “By harnessing the inherent simplicity of voice control, we ensure secure access across a multitude of devices, including smartphones, PCs, and smart home systems.”
ID R&D has been focused on addressing the deepfake threat long before the latest AI Large Language Models started to bring mainstream media attention to the topic. When Mitek acquired the firm in 2021, Khitrov expressed excitement about the opportunity “to scale our leading voice biometrics, facial liveness and deepfake detection technologies.”
The firm’s ability to develop technology that can effectively counter these threats stems in part from its broader research and development activities around presentation attack detection, which helped ID R&D to attain top rankings in the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s inaugural evaluation program for passive facial PAD algorithms last year.
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June 27, 2024 – by Alex Perala
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