OpenAI, Google veterans launch audio AI startup
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One of the co-creators of ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode has struck out on his own with the launch of WaveForms, a startup creating an audio AI system capable of capturing more nuance than rival approaches.
Why it matters: While a growing number of chatbots can process voice input, many do so using speech-to-text systems that end up missing important nuance, such as intonation and emotion.
Driving the news: WaveForms, which has raised $40 million in a seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz, is headed by Alexis Conneau, formerly of OpenAI, along with Coralie Lemaitre, who previously worked in product strategy at Google.
- In an interview, Conneau said he is looking to solve the "Speech Turing Test" — that is, to create a system in which users can't tell whether they are talking to a computer or a human being.
- Doing that, he said, will require creating a system that has fuller emotional understanding than the current generation of AI voice technology.
Yes, but: WaveForms, which has just five employees at the moment, is still developing its models, Conneau told Axios.
- He also acknowledged that the type of AI system he is contemplating poses risks, including the potential for users to become overly attached to the AI characters they interact with.
- He said he hopes the industry has learned lessons from the social media era: "I want to believe that we are more prepared than we were, you know, a few years back."
What to watch: Conneau said it's too soon to talk about the specific products WaveForms has in mind, but there should be more details from the company next year.
- He also said WaveForms will seek to prove itself in the consumer space before launching a business-to-business play.
- Education is among the areas that could benefit from the company's technology, but Conneau said to expect a broad range of uses. "I think this kind of technology is inherently horizontal," he said.
