News/Voice
Vivo unveils AI-powered FunTouch OS 15 upgrades
Vivo is aggressively expanding its AI capabilities in Funtouch OS 15 with a comprehensive suite of intelligent features that mirror many tools previously exclusive to Google's Pixel devices. This update significantly enhances the company's Android 15-based operating system, building upon performance improvements introduced in September 2024 to deliver practical AI applications for everyday smartphone use. The big picture: Vivo's latest Funtouch OS 15 update integrates Google's Magic Eraser technology alongside eight additional AI-powered features focused on image manipulation, language translation, and content discovery. The update brings the popular "Circle to Search" functionality to Vivo devices, allowing users to search for...
read Apr 25, 2025Facepalm: AI radio host fools Australian listeners for months
Radio listeners in Australia were unwittingly tuning into an AI-generated host for months, highlighting how synthetic media can seamlessly integrate into daily entertainment without disclosure. The revelation about CADA radio station's "Workdays with Thy" program demonstrates the increasingly undetectable nature of AI-generated content in mainstream media and raises important questions about transparency and authenticity in broadcasting. The big picture: An Australian radio station has been broadcasting a show hosted by an AI-generated voice for months without informing listeners that "Thy" wasn't a real person. The four-hour show on Sydney station CADA features hip hop, R&B, and pop music curated by...
read Apr 24, 2025Turf war? Perplexity challenges Siri with advanced AI chatbot…for iPhones
Perplexity AI has launched a new voice assistant feature for iOS that competes with Siri's functionality, despite Apple's system-level limitations. This development represents a significant step toward creating alternative voice assistants on the iPhone, potentially delivering on CEO Aravind Srinivas' recent promise to create "a version of Siri that works reliably on basic stuff" – demonstrating how quickly AI companies can now implement features that traditionally required deep system integration. The competitive landscape: Despite Siri's privileged position as Apple's native voice assistant, Perplexity has managed to implement similar functionality within the constraints of iOS. Siri maintains exclusive access to system-level...
read Apr 23, 2025AI-powered EV charging rolls out in 2024
Electric vehicle charging is becoming increasingly personalized and AI-driven as Electric Era introduces the first artificial intelligence-enabled fast-charging stations. Revealed this week, these stations integrate a voice-activated interface through the company's new Retailer AI platform, transforming the standard charging experience into an interactive retail opportunity. This technological advancement signals how the EV infrastructure market is evolving beyond basic utility to create new consumer engagement touchpoints for businesses. The big picture: Electric Era's AI-powered charging stations represent a significant shift in how retailers can leverage EV charging infrastructure as an extension of their customer service and brand experience. Founded by former...
read Apr 18, 2025AI voice cloning risks exposed by Consumer Reports, Descript more secure than ElevenLabs
Voice cloning technology has rapidly advanced to a concerning level of realism, requiring only seconds of audio to create convincing replicas of someone's voice. While this technology enables legitimate applications like audiobooks and marketing, it simultaneously creates serious vulnerabilities for fraud and scams. A new Consumer Reports investigation reveals alarming gaps in safeguards across leading voice cloning platforms, highlighting the urgent need for stronger protection mechanisms to prevent malicious exploitation of this increasingly accessible technology. The big picture: Consumer Reports evaluated six major voice cloning tools and found most lack adequate technical safeguards to prevent unauthorized voice cloning. Only two...
read Apr 18, 2025AI art can’t go on: Celine Dion alerts fans to AI-generated song scams online
Celine Dion's warning about unauthorized AI songs impersonating her voice highlights growing tensions in the music industry around artificial intelligence. Her public statement comes amid broader industry pushback, with hundreds of prominent artists recently signing an open letter against AI threats to artistic integrity and compensation. This development reflects the music world's struggle to address emerging tensions between technological innovation and artists' rights as AI voice cloning becomes increasingly sophisticated. The warning: Celine Dion took to Instagram to alert fans about fake AI-generated songs falsely attributed to her circulating online. "These recordings are fake and not approved, and are not songs...
read Apr 18, 2025Agora unveils AI toolkit to power IoT device conversations
Agora's new ConvoAI Device Kit represents a significant advancement in bringing conversational AI capabilities to IoT devices, robots, and interactive toys. By partnering with chip-maker Beken, the company has created an integrated solution that enables more natural, responsive voice interactions—potentially transforming how consumers interact with smart devices across educational, emotional support, and entertainment applications. The big picture: Agora is expanding beyond its core real-time engagement solutions to enter the growing AI-powered robotics and interactive toys market with a comprehensive toolkit for developers. The ConvoAI Device Kit combines Beken's AI chip modules with Agora's conversational AI technology to enable intelligent, voice-driven...
read Apr 15, 2025Sesame’s CTO reveals how they’re building real-time voice AI that talks like humans
Andreessen Horowitz's latest episode of AI + a16z features Sesame's CTO Ankit Kumar delving into the technical foundations of their voice technology with a16z partner Anjney Midha. This conversation offers a rare glimpse into the engineering complexities behind real-time conversational AI, exploring how voice interfaces might fundamentally change human-computer interaction as the technology continues to evolve from research labs into everyday applications. The big picture: Sesame's voice technology represents a significant advancement in AI-powered conversational interfaces, with the company taking the unusual step of open-sourcing key components of their underlying models. Kumar and Midha explore the technical challenges involved in...
read Apr 14, 2025Hey, Mivi: Indian firm claims first human-like AI assistant with emotional intelligence
Mivi's launch of a human-like AI assistant marks a significant development in the Indian technology landscape, integrating emotional intelligence with advanced language processing capabilities. This AI platform, accessed through specialized earbuds, represents a growing trend toward more personalized and contextually aware voice assistants that can maintain natural conversations. The technology's ability to remember past interactions and understand emotional tones could potentially set a new standard for AI-human interaction in the Indian market. The big picture: Indian tech company Mivi has unveiled what it claims is the world's first truly human-like AI assistant, developed entirely in India and designed to create...
read Apr 11, 2025OpenAI launches three new voice AI models with bespoke accent and emotion features
OpenAI is expanding its voice AI capabilities with three new proprietary models designed to enhance transcription and text-to-speech functionality. These offerings arrive after the company's previous voice AI controversy with Scarlett Johansson and reflect OpenAI's strategic push into audio AI while addressing potential concerns about voice imitation through user customization options. The big picture: OpenAI has launched three new voice models—gpt-4o-transcribe, gpt-4o-mini-transcribe, and gpt-4o-mini-tts—initially available through its API for developers and on a limited-access demo site called OpenAI.fm. The models are variants of GPT-4o specifically post-trained with additional data for transcription and speech capabilities. These offerings are positioned to replace...
read Apr 10, 2025Always-on-call center: AI voice agents give startups 24/7 customer service and operational scale
AI voice agents are transforming how startups operate by providing 24/7 customer service without the limitations of human fatigue or availability. These autonomous tools have evolved from clunky chatbots into sophisticated systems that sound remarkably human and operate across multiple platforms. As voice technology advances, businesses of all sizes are finding innovative applications beyond customer service, including recruitment, sales training, and appointment management—creating new opportunities for startups to scale operations while maintaining consistent service quality. The big picture: AI voice agents are emerging as essential tools for startups and small businesses in 2025, with major tech companies from Meta to...
read Apr 10, 2025(Not) Just Between Us: Amazon is killing Echo’s local voice processing, forcing all commands to the cloud
Amazon is forcing a significant privacy change on Echo users by eliminating local voice processing capabilities, requiring all voice commands to be processed in the cloud starting March 28, 2025. This shift represents a growing tension between advanced AI features and user privacy controls, as companies increasingly centralize processing to support more sophisticated capabilities. The change affects even privacy-conscious users who had specifically opted to keep their voice commands processed locally on their devices. The big picture: Amazon is removing the "Do Not Send Voice Recordings" option from Echo devices, forcing all user voice commands to be processed in the...
read Apr 10, 2025MacWhisper 12 brings first-ever on-device speaker recognition to Mac transcription
MacWhisper 12 introduces a groundbreaking advancement in AI transcription technology with its new automatic speaker recognition feature that works entirely on-device. This development represents a significant milestone for content creators, journalists, and professionals who rely on accurate transcription, as it addresses one of the most challenging aspects of audio-to-text conversion while maintaining privacy and security through local processing. The big picture: MacWhisper 12 has become the first Mac application to offer automatic speaker recognition that works entirely on-device, solving a major challenge in transcription technology. The app can now automatically detect different speakers in audio files, group their speech, and...
read Apr 8, 2025Sesame’s AI “voice presence” creates emotional bonds with human-like imperfections
Sesame's hyperrealistic AI voice assistant has crossed the uncanny valley threshold, creating new possibilities for genuine human-AI connections while raising important questions about emotional attachment to synthetic voices. The model's breakthrough "voice presence" technology introduces intentional imperfections—breaths, chuckles, self-corrections—creating such compelling interactions that users report forming emotional bonds with the AI personalities "Miles" and "Maya" during testing sessions. The big picture: Sesame's Conversational Speech Model (CSM) represents a significant leap forward in AI voice technology, mimicking human speech patterns with unprecedented realism. The model deliberately incorporates human-like imperfections such as breath sounds, natural pauses, stumbling over words, and self-corrections to...
read Apr 7, 2025Siri’s dramatic decline forces Apple to rethink its voice assistant strategy
Apple's virtual assistant Siri has deteriorated significantly over time, while user expectations and competitor capabilities have surged forward. This growing gap has prompted calls for Apple to either completely overhaul its approach to voice assistance or embrace deeper integration with third-party AI assistants, as the current system falls increasingly short despite its privileged position as the iPhone's native voice assistant. The big picture: Siri has transformed from groundbreaking technology in 2011 to a consistently frustrating experience that fails at even basic tasks, creating a widening gap between Apple's voice assistant and more advanced AI alternatives. The quality of Siri's performance...
read Apr 4, 2025Say what?! Sesame AI’s hyper-realistic voice assistants garner over $1 billion valuation
Sesame AI's hyper-realistic voice assistants are attracting significant investor attention, showcasing the growing appeal of advanced conversational AI in the market. The company's potential billion-dollar valuation signals strong confidence in voice technology's future and reflects the increasing competition for stakes in promising AI startups as venture capital continues flowing into the sector. The big picture: Sesame AI Inc. is in discussions to raise over $200 million in a funding round that would value the voice assistant startup at more than $1 billion. The company has developed Maya and Miles, described as hyper-realistic artificial intelligence voice assistants that have captured investor...
read Mar 26, 2025Observe.AI launches VoiceAI agents to automate routine customer service calls
Observe.AI's launch of VoiceAI agents represents a significant advancement in contact center automation, blending various AI technologies to handle routine customer interactions. This solution addresses growing enterprise interest in automating basic customer service tasks while allowing human agents to focus on more complex issues, potentially transforming the economics and experience of customer service operations. The big picture: Observe.AI has released VoiceAI agents to automate routine customer service interactions, positioning itself as the only complete AI-powered platform supporting the entire customer journey. The new solution is designed to handle everything from simple FAQs to multi-step conversations, eliminating long hold times and...
read Mar 26, 2025Krisp’s AI accent converter transforms speech to American English, aiding call center communication
Krisp's new AI Accent Conversion tool represents a significant development in audio processing technology, allowing users to transform their accents into American English during real-time conversations. While addressing legitimate communication challenges in global workplaces, the technology raises important questions about cultural identity, authenticity in communication, and the broader implications of AI-mediated speech modification in professional environments. How it works: Krisp's new AI tool converts a speaker's accent to American English in real time with a 200ms latency across major video conferencing platforms. The technology preserves the speaker's natural voice while modifying their accent, though demo versions showed somewhat robotic-sounding speech....
read Mar 26, 2025Read my lips: AMC debuts AI-powered “visual dubbing” to make foreign films more accessible
Dubbing is moving beyond '70s kung fu flicks. Way beyond. AMC Theatres is pioneering a new approach to foreign film distribution by using AI-powered "visual dubbing" technology to make international cinema more accessible to American audiences. This innovative technique digitally alters actors' lip movements to match English dialogue, potentially breaking down barriers for viewers hesitant to engage with subtitled content while preserving the original performances. The May 9th debut of the Swedish sci-fi film "Watch the Skies" represents a significant test case for AI's role in expanding global film distribution. How it works: Flawless AI's TrueSync technology digitally modifies the...
read Mar 25, 2025How Otter.ai grew to 1 billion meetings with AI transcription and zero salespeople
Otter.ai has leveraged AI-powered transcription services to disrupt a traditional market through a strategically freemium business model. The company has grown exponentially by processing over one billion meetings between 2017-2023, developing its own AI infrastructure, and implementing a product-led growth strategy without employing a single sales representative. Founded by Sam Liang, a Stanford PhD with experience at Google and a successful exit selling Location Labs for $220 million, Otter.ai demonstrates how AI companies can achieve massive scale through innovative pricing, technology ownership, and viral product features. 1. Disruptive freemium strategy Otter.ai offers 600 free transcription minutes monthly, worth approximately $600...
read Mar 24, 2025Google’s Gemini now turns AI research into interactive podcast-style conversations
Google's latest integration of Audio Overviews with Gemini's Deep Research feature bridges the gap between AI-generated research and audio content consumption. By transforming comprehensive reports into conversational podcast-style formats, Google continues expanding its AI capabilities across different mediums and use cases. This development represents another step in Google's strategy to make AI-generated content more accessible and engaging through different sensory experiences. The big picture: Google has expanded its Audio Overviews feature to work with Gemini's Deep Research function, allowing users to convert AI-generated research reports into conversational podcasts between two AI hosts. How it works: Users can now select a...
read Mar 24, 2025Apple cooks current AI leadership as Vision Pro creator is tapped to revive Siri
Apple's strategic AI leadership shuffle marks a critical turning point in its efforts to revive Siri amid growing competition in the voice assistant market. The reassignment of Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell to lead Siri development signals CEO Tim Cook's determination to accelerate AI innovation after months of delays that have positioned Apple behind competitors in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. The big picture: Apple CEO Tim Cook is reorganizing the company's AI leadership structure, moving Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell to take charge of the Siri virtual assistant. This rare executive shake-up follows months of delays and setbacks in...
read Mar 20, 2025Developer proposes Apple let users choose AI assistants beyond Siri
Is Apple going the way of Burger King in assuring patrons they can have it their way? Apple's current Siri capabilities lag significantly behind modern AI chatbot technology, creating a growing competitive disadvantage as users experience more advanced alternatives. Developer Gus Mueller's suggestion that Apple allow users to choose their own AI assistant represents a pragmatic solution that could benefit both consumers and Apple itself, potentially transforming how voice assistants integrate with Apple's ecosystem while addressing long-standing complaints about Siri's limitations. The big picture: Siri has fallen dramatically behind competing AI technologies, with Apple facing criticism for advertising features that...
read Mar 20, 2025AI voice recorder Plaud Note transforms speech into summaries and mind maps
The Plaud Note AI voice recorder represents a significant advancement in voice recording technology, merging physical hardware with powerful AI capabilities to transform how professionals capture and process spoken information. By combining instantaneous transcription with AI-generated summaries and visualizations, this device addresses the growing demand for tools that not only record information but also help organize and extract meaning from it—particularly valuable in an era where efficient information processing has become a competitive advantage in many industries. The device's capabilities: Plaud Note is a credit card-sized hardware recorder that syncs with a companion mobile app to provide AI-powered features beyond...
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