Woman uses artificial intelligence to speak after brain surgery damaged voice

What can I get for you? This sort of thing is probably a blip in your daily life. Most of us wouldn't give the drive through a second thought, but for Alexis Bogan, ordering a coffee once seemed impossible. Hi, can I get a Grande iced brown sugar now? For the first time in a long time she can do these things again thanks to AI. It was amazing to have, but a lot of times in the back pocket they can just pull out and have it talk for you. The 21 year old who used to love singing along the country music in the car. Was left without a voice after doctors made a terrifying discovery last year. The Associated Press spoke to the specialist who treated her. We discovered that she had a brain tumor in the back of their brain called the posterior fossa and the size of a golf ball. It was very vascular. She had to go into urgent brain surgery. The 10 hour operation successfully removed the tumor, but it damaged the part of Alexis's brain that controls eating and voice functions when she spoke. Even Alexis didn't recognize her own voice. I thought that if I felt I couldn't be independent. So specialists in Providence, RI using new artificial intelligence technology worked to create a digital clone of Bogans voice. We were given this early access to this technology called Voice Engine developed by Open AI. Taking 15 seconds of audio, it can recreate someone's voice. They used an audio sample from a clip well before the surgery. Where she talked about cooking. Now, with just a few keystrokes on her phone, AI brings her voice to life. It feels amazing to get my voice back. An AP reporter, Matt O'Brien, was there. As Alexis got her voice back, she kind of voiced some of her feelings about this technology and how it was bringing back the piece of our identity that she felt she had lost. AI is already expanding access for people with disabilities. Last year we spoke with Brian Fischler. He's legally blind, but uses a virtual assistant powered by AI as a second pair of eyes. Where is the shampoo? The shampoo is located on the bottom shelf, towards the left side of the picture. Having this kind of information in the palm of my hand, it's just going to change so many things. Alexis is one of the first to get her own voice back using AI, but those who specialize in the technology hope she's not the last. The doctors that worked with Lexi are already starting to work with other people at the same hospital. A medical breakthrough helping Alexis Bogan rediscover something that always made her unique. Her voice. No, I didn't have for my independence feedback because I have this technology. Allison Barber, NBC News.