Block unveils Dessa, an AI voice system that learned to speak from recordings of human conversations | Listen

Block has introduced Dessa, a voice AI system that learned to speak from recordings of human conversations. The system laughs mid-sentence and responds to tone of voice. For now, it is not open to the public.

Block has introduced Dessa, a voice artificial intelligence system that learned to speak from recordings of human conversations. In demonstrations, the system laughs mid-sentence, completes words, and responds to changes in tone of voice. According to Block, the system learned only from recordings of human conversations, without a training phase on texts. It can listen and speak simultaneously, which is intended to make conversations more natural. The company claims it can run on a MacBook Pro with an M4 Max chip. For now, Block is granting early access only to a limited group of safety researchers.