OpenAI has secretly acquired a small startup called Weights.gg, which developed AI technology that helps accurately imitate the voices of famous people. OpenAI acquired the employees and their technology of the company, which ceased operations in March this year. The company’s website states that the company’s platform and related services will be completely shut down from April 1.

Before its closure, Weights.gg operated as a platform that helped create and share AI algorithms that could clone human voices through an app called ‘Replay’. Their technology was used to imitate the voices of famous musicians such as Taylor Swift and Kanye West, as well as political leaders such as Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and even famous cartoon characters with great accuracy.

OpenAI currently has no plans to launch a new voice cloning app using Waits.GG's technology. Instead, the company aims to further improve its existing AI products and services by deploying the acquired employees across various teams. OpenAI is very cautious about using voice-imitating technology, as it has the potential to be misused.