I almost missed the boat on AI voice.
It was 2021. I was deep in the trenches with RemoteTeam, my startup that was later acquired by Gusto. We were building tools to help companies hire and pay international contractors. My world was payroll, compliance, and HR tech. Voice AI? It was a blip on my radar, a cool demo I’d seen at a conference, but not something I was taking seriously. I’d seen a lot of tech fads come and go. I’ve been lucky enough to have a couple of successful exits, like MovieLaLa which was acquired by Gfycat, and I’ve made over 200 angel investments in companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI. You get a sense for what’s real and what’s just hype. And back then, AI voice felt like hype.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Fast forward to today, and AI voice is not just a feature; it’s a foundational technology that’s reshaping how we interact with everything. From the way we consume content to how we build our products, voice is becoming the new interface. And I’m not just talking about Alexa or Siri. I’m talking about a revolution in synthetic media that’s making it possible to create incredibly realistic and emotionally resonant audio content at scale. I’m talking about a world where your favorite podcast can be translated into any language in the creator’s own voice, where you can have a conversation with a digital version of your favorite author, or where you can create a personalized audio experience for every single one of your users.
The Tipping Point for AI Voice
So what changed? A few things. First, the quality of text-to-speech (TTS) technology has improved dramatically. We’ve moved beyond the robotic, monotone voices of the past to a place where AI can generate speech that is virtually indistinguishable from human speech. This is thanks to advances in deep learning, particularly in models like WaveNet and Tacotron, which are able to capture the subtle nuances of human speech, like intonation, rhythm, and stress. I remember hearing a demo of a cloned voice for the first time and being absolutely blown away. It wasn’t just the words; it was the emotion, the personality, the very essence of the speaker that was captured in the audio. It was a lightbulb moment for me. I realized that we were on the cusp of something big.
Second, the cost of creating and deploying AI voice applications has plummeted. What used to require a team of PhDs and a multi-million dollar budget can now be done with a few lines of code and a credit card. This has opened up the floodgates for innovation, with startups and individual developers creating a new generation of voice-powered products and services. I’ve seen everything from AI-powered podcasting tools that can edit and master your audio in minutes to conversational AI platforms that can handle complex customer service inquiries with a human touch. The pace of innovation is staggering.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, we’re starting to see a shift in consumer behavior. People are becoming more comfortable with voice interfaces, and they’re starting to expect them in the products they use every day. We’re moving from a world of screens and keyboards to a world of voice and conversation. This is a paradigm shift that is going to have a profound impact on every industry, from media and entertainment to education and healthcare.
My Journey into the World of AI Voice
My own journey into the world of AI voice started with a simple problem. I wanted to create a podcast for my book, “Becoming Top 1%.” I had the content, but I didn’t have the time to record and edit a weekly show. I looked into hiring a team to do it for me, but the cost was prohibitive. So I started looking for a technology solution. That’s when I stumbled upon a new generation of AI-powered podcasting tools that could automate the entire process, from recording and editing to distribution and promotion. I was skeptical at first, but I decided to give it a try. And I was blown away by the results.
Not only was I able to create a high-quality podcast in a fraction of the time it would have taken me to do it manually, but I was also able to do things that I never thought were possible. For example, I was able to create a personalized version of the podcast for each of my listeners, with their name and other personal details inserted into the audio. I was also able to translate the podcast into multiple languages, using a synthetic version of my own voice. The response from my listeners was incredible. They loved the personalized experience, and they were amazed by the quality of the AI-generated audio.
This experience opened my eyes to the power of AI voice. I realized that we were at the beginning of a new era in media and entertainment, an era where anyone can create high-quality audio content at scale. I started to explore other applications of AI voice, from conversational AI to speech recognition. I invested in a few startups in the space, and I started to build my own AI voice-powered products. I’m still learning, but I’m convinced that AI voice is one of the most important technologies of our time.
The Future of AI Voice
So what does the future of AI voice look like? I believe we’re going to see a world where voice is the primary interface for all of our digital experiences. We’re going to talk to our cars, our homes, and our devices as if they were human. We’re going to have conversations with our favorite brands and celebrities. We’re going to consume content in new and exciting ways, with personalized audio experiences that are tailored to our individual needs and preferences.
But it’s not just about convenience. AI voice is also going to have a profound impact on our society. It’s going to make information more accessible to people with disabilities. It’s going to help us to break down language barriers and to connect with people from all over the world. It’s going to create new opportunities for artists, musicians, and storytellers. It’s going to change the way we learn, the way we work, and the way we play.
Of course, there are also risks. We need to be mindful of the ethical implications of AI voice, particularly when it comes to things like deepfakes and voice cloning. We need to make sure that we’re using this technology in a responsible and ethical way. But I’m optimistic. I believe that the benefits of AI voice far outweigh the risks. And I’m excited to be a part of this journey.
I’m not a futurist, and I don’t have a crystal ball. But I do have a front-row seat to the AI revolution. And from where I’m sitting, the future of AI voice looks incredibly bright. It’s a future where the line between human and machine is blurred, where we can create and consume content in ways that we never thought were possible, and where the power of voice is unleashed to connect us all. It’s a future that I’m excited to be a part of. And I hope you are too.
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What experience informs this perspective?
This perspective comes from over a decade of building companies in Silicon Valley, two successful exits (RemoteTeam to Gusto, MovieLaLa to Gfycat), and investing in 200+ startups including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI. I write about what I've lived.