Articles about voice

WellSaid’s new AI voice tech will introduce ‘emotional directing’ for inflection and tone

A new AI model from WellSaid Labs will let users guide the emotions, pitch, and pace of AI-generated voice clips… Read More

This bot plays hot tunes: Super Hi-Fi and WellSaid Labs use AI to create a lifelike DJ

As he turns from a Foo Fighters tune to the Smashing Pumpkins, Andy sounds just like your typical alternative-rock DJ… Read More

Alexa, please! Study suggests kids know how to talk differently to virtual assistants and humans

Kids taught to say “Bungo” to get a smart assistant to speed up know they are talking to a robot… Read More

Ex-Amazon engineer raises $500K to grow voice tech platform used by Whirlpool, LG, others

Vancouver, B.C. startup Picovoice raised a $500,000 investment from Seattle-based Founders’ Co-op for its platform that lets companies build their… Read More

‘MeowTalk,’ an app that translates cat sounds, is a pet project for this former Alexa engineer

Plenty of technological advances may be regarded as the cat’s meow. Here’s one that claims to actually understand what cats… Read More

Bamboo launches English learning voice app for Alexa, partners with TAF to help kids in need

Seattle startup Bamboo Learning today launched its first voice-based education app for English Language Arts and announced partnerships to help… Read More

Amazon rolls out new Alexa development features to expand capabilities of voice tech interactions

Amazon announced 31 new features for its Alexa voice platform, aiming to help developers increase usage and engagement of their… Read More

Amazon unveils voice interoperability initiative with more than 30 companies — but not Google or Apple

Amazon announced a big partnership on Tuesday called the Voice Interoperability Initiative, taking a stand on how it believes voice… Read More

Amazon sued by early voice tech developers who allege that company infringed on patents

Former investors and employees from VoiceBox Technologies are suing Amazon, alleging that the Seattle tech giant infringed on six of… Read More

Techstars Seattle grad raises cash to record meetings and build a ‘personal memory bank’ for users

A Techstars Seattle grad that wants to create a “personal cloud-based memory bank” for its users has the attention of… Read More

Consumer groups accuse Amazon of illegal voice recording on Echo Dot Kids speaker

Consumer advocacy and privacy groups filed a complaint with the FTC on Thursday asking to investigate Amazon for allegedly illegally… Read More

Will AirPods spark the next technology wave? How ‘personal audio computing’ could reshape the industry

Phone, keys, wallet. Oh, and AirPods. It’s happened to me, and I bet it’s happened to you too. The trio… Read More

Amazon invests in Seattle startup Jargon, a voice application content platform for developers

Voice technology continues to proliferate. There are more than 66 million smart speaker units in the U.S., up from 36… Read More

Apple Music arrives on Amazon Echo in new partnership between voice tech competitors

Apple is making its Apple Music service available on Amazon Echo devices in a surprising new partnership between two rivals… Read More

The top pitches from Amazon’s Alexa Accelerator as startups push boundaries of voice tech

“Alexa, please ask the audience to take their seats.” Between bad Alexa jokes and innovative ideas pitched on stage, the… Read More

Facebook debuts new video chatting device Portal amid privacy and security concerns

Facebook on Monday unveiled Portal, a new at-home hardware device focused on video chat. Portal and the larger Portal+ use… Read More

‘Alexa, start Halo’: Microsoft adds Alexa and Cortana voice commands for Xbox One

Xbox owners have another way to control their console: Alexa and Cortana. Microsoft expanded its voice support for Xbox One… Read More

How kids quacking at a cartoon duck fuels bigger ideas about voice technology and access

To win the bonus game in Cookie Monster’s Challenge, a player must say “quack” to a small, white cartoon duck… Read More

Grappling with Google Duplex: What happens when our AI assistants suddenly seem more human

When I first saw Google’s new Duplex technology, it was simultaneously thrilling and horrifying. It’s the kind of technological evolution… Read More

Amazon targets hotels with new ‘Alexa for Hospitality’ voice service, inks Marriott deal

Amazon is making a big push to get its Alexa voice technology inside hotel rooms. Related:Testing Alexa in a hotel… Read More

Jimmy Kimmel interviews cackling Alexa, and Amazon’s voice assistant gets last laugh

Can’t say we didn’t see this one coming. The people who tell jokes for a living are now laughing along… Read More

Mystery solved? Amazon explains what cracked up Alexa, and what they’re going to do about it

OK, don’t laugh. There’s been enough of that, apparently. After reports about its Alexa-enabled devices laughing out loud for no… Read More

Machine learning or laughing? Amazon’s Alexa is freaking people out with unprovoked chuckle

It’s one thing to believe that Amazon’s Alexa is constantly listening to us, but quite another to worry that she’s… Read More

Startup Spotlight: Pulse Labs makes it easy for voice developers to test their Alexa apps

Voice-controlled devices, like the Amazon Echo, are driving what Abhishek Suthan calls a “tectonic shift” in computing — and he… Read More

Talk to the lamp: We tried GE’s Sol, a $200 light with Amazon Alexa inside

It is becoming more common to control smart lights around the home or office with voice commands, by connecting those… Read More

Startup Spotlight: Novel Effect aims to make story time more magical for kids using voice recognition technology

Melissa and Matt Hammersley got the idea for Novel Effect when they were expecting their first child, Eleanor. They wanted… Read More

Report: Top Amazon rival Alibaba is about to launch an Echo competitor

Alibaba, the China-based e-commerce giant determined to go toe-to-toe with Amazon, is coming out with its answer to the Echo… Read More

Amazon Music product leader explains why Alexa is only available in 3 countries so far

When it comes to global expansion, Amazon’s Alexa is taking it slow. As of now, Amazon devices with the Alexa… Read More