Games have the power to connect people across the world in enjoyment and teamwork, but they can also create a space ripe for toxic speech and hatred. Activision is attempting to minimize the latter, announcing a new collaboration with Modulate, a company using technology to identify these issues, for direct voice chat moderation in Call of Duty. Modulate's AI system, ToxMod, attempts to identify threats like hate speech, radicalization and self-harm in real-time. It claims to work in three steps: triage, analyze and escalate. ToxMod listens to all voice chats and pinpoints which warrant a further look.

Modulate, a leader in the fight against online toxicity, announced the completion of a $30 million Series A funding round led by Lakestar with participation from existing investors Everblue Management, Hyperplane Ventures, and others. In addition, Mika Salmi, Managing Partner of Lakestar, will join Modulate's Board of Directors. The company will use the funds to expand its team and continue scaling its groundbreaking proactive voice moderation platform, ToxMod. "ToxMod is changing the way game developers attack toxic behavior in their communities and this funding is a real validation of our mission to make online communities safer," said Mike Pappas, CEO of Modulate. "We're thrilled to welcome Mika and his vast store of experience to the Board as we grow our team and ramp up the development and deployment of ToxMod."

In brief AI cameras inside Amazon's delivery trucks are denying drivers' bonus pay for errors they shouldn't be blamed for, it's reported. The e-commerce giant installed the equipment in its vehicles earlier this year. The devices watch the road and the driver, and send out audio alerts if they don't like the way their humans are driving. One man in Los Angeles told Vice that when he gets cut off by other cars, the machine would sense the other vehicle suddenly right in front of him, and squawk: "Maintain safe distance!" Logs of the audio alerts and camera footage are relayed back to Amazon, and it automatically decides whether drivers deserve to get bonuses or not from their performance on the road.

Fred, a trans man, clicked his mouse, and his tenorful tones suddenly sank deeper. He'd switched on voice-changing algorithms that provided what sounded like an instant vocal cord transplant. "This one is'Seth,'" he said, of a persona he was testing on a Zoom call with a reporter. Then, he switched to speak as "Joe," whose voice was more nasal and upbeat. Fred's friend Jane, a trans woman also testing the prototype software, chuckled and showcased some artificial voices she liked for their feminine sound.

Online, we can be whoever we want--a bulked-up soldier, a freakish banana, Sonic the Hedgehog--only until we start speaking. Over any online game's built-in chat or Discord, our voices have the power to immediately reveal information about our geographic region, our gender, even our ethnicity. Now, a company that makes "voice skins" is trying to change that, too. "You go online and have the freedom to design your avatar, choose your username, pick what communities you jump into. You can design your online persona completely separately from who you are in the real world," said Modulate founder Mike Pappas.

The accent, emotion, and intonation are all mine. But somehow I now sound like a youngish woman with a high-pitched voice. My feminine "voice skin" was created by Modulate.ai, The firm uses machine learning to copy, model, and manipulate the properties of voice in a powerful new way. The technology goes far beyond the simple voice filters that can let you sound like Kylo Ren.

The accent, emotion, and intonation are all mine. But somehow I now sound like a youngish woman with a high-pitched voice. My feminine "voice skin" was created by Modulate.ai, The firm uses machine learning to copy, model, and manipulate the properties of voice in a powerful new way. The technology goes far beyond the simple voice filters that can let you sound like Kylo Ren.