Bengaluru – AI has transformed synthesized speech from the monotone of robo calls and decades-old GPS navigation systems to the polished tone of virtual assistants in smartphones and smart speakers.
But there’s still a gap between AI-synthesized speech and the human speech we hear in daily conversation and in the media. That’s because people speak with complex rhythm, intonation and timbre that’s challenging for AI to emulate.
The gap is closing fast: NVIDIA researchers are building models and tools for high-quality, controllable speech synthesis that capture the richness of human speech, without audio artifacts. Their latest projects are now on display in sessions at the Interspeech 2021 conference, which runs through Sept. 3.
These models can help voice automated customer service lines for banks and retailers, bring video-game or book characters to life, and provide real-time speech synthesis for digital avatars.
