Speech recognition know-how firm Voiceitt introduced its partnering with video conferencing platform Webex by Cisco to make digital conferences extra accessible for people with speech impairments.
Voiceitt presents an AI-based speech recognition app for people with non-standard speech to speak, instantaneously translating unintelligible and atypical speech.
The partnership will permit for real-time AI-enabled captioning and transcription for folks with speech impairments to be understood throughout Webex digital conferences.
Voiceitt’s API is out there for obtain through Webex’s App Hub. The know-how will probably be absolutely embedded into Webex’s platform later this yr.
“Our partnership with Cisco facilitates a big utility of Voiceitt’s core tech, enabling folks with speech disabilities to specific themselves and be understood by voice in each skilled and social contexts. We’re grateful for Cisco’s dedication by way of this integration with Webex Conferences to facilitate extra inclusive work environments, leveraging innovative voice AI to create alternatives and empower people with disabilities in a various and inclusive world,” Sara Smolley, Voiceitt cofounder and vice chairman of strategic partnerships, instructed MobiHealthNews in an e-mail.
THE LARGER TREND
Voiceitt is an Amazon Alexa Fund portfolio firm that participated within the Alexa Accelerator, powered by Techstars in Seattle in 2018.
In December, Voiceitt garnered $4.7 million in funding, with Cisco Investments collaborating within the spherical. On the time, the Israeli firm stated it had raised $20 million since its formation in 2012, together with $5M of non-dilutive funding from grants and competitions. In 2020, Voiceitt acquired $10 million in Series A funding.
Different organizations working within the speech recognition house are tech giants Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google. In October, the 5 firms, alongside nonprofit companions, introduced a collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to increase speech capabilities for these with disabilities through the Speech Accessibility Project.
The challenge will accumulate speech samples from people with various speech patterns, and the college will recruit paid volunteers to contribute recorded voice samples. The collected samples will assist prepare machine studying fashions to determine varied speech patterns, focusing first on American English.