What is identified as the most crucial practical invention in voice cloning for accessibility?

Answer

The dramatic reduction in the data required for high-quality synthesis, sometimes needing only a few seconds

While the foundational mathematical breakthroughs in neural networks are important, the text emphasizes that the most crucial *practical* invention transforming voice cloning into a widely accessible technology was the massive decrease in required training data. Older methods needed extensive material, but modern AI systems, leveraging deep learning, can achieve impressive, convincing results using surprisingly little source material. This capability means that a functional, high-quality clone model can sometimes be trained effectively with only a few seconds of the target speaker's audio, democratizing the process significantly.

What is identified as the most crucial practical invention in voice cloning for accessibility?
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