Speechify: Enhancing the Audio Experience in Chrome Browser

Speechify's New Features: Accurate Voice Typing and Interactive Voice Assistant

Speechify: Primarily known as a text-to-speech tool for articles, PDFs, and documents, is now enhancing its Chrome extension with advanced voice detection features. These include accurate voice typing and an interactive voice assistant that answers user queries. Interactive voice assistant

Advanced Voice Dictation Tool

Growth of Voice Detection Tools: The past twelve months have seen significant growth in voice detection tools, driven by continuous improvements in speech recognition model quality. Speechify is leveraging this development by launching an advanced dictation tool that supports English, featuring error correction and removal of unnecessary words, similar to the best dictation tools available.

Performance and Accuracy Improvements and Current Challenges

Potential for Improvement: During a short initial trial, it became clear that there is significant potential for improvement in Speechify's performance. While the tools work efficiently with applications like Gmail and Google Docs, difficulties were encountered in activating voice dictation on platforms such as WordPress. The company stated that it is working on gradual enhancements to better support popular websites.

Error Rate: Regarding accuracy, the word error rate was observed to be higher compared to other tools like Wispr Flow, Willow, and Monologue. However, Speechify indicated that its model relies on continuous learning, where performance improves and the error rate gradually decreases with increased usage.

The Interactive Voice Assistant and Speechify's AI Vision

Interactive Voice Assistant: The startup is launching an interactive voice assistant available in the browser sidebar. This assistant allows users to ask questions related to the displayed content, such as inquiring about main ideas or requesting information simplification.

Focus on Voice Experience: Although platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini offer conversational modes, Speechify believes that voice in these is a secondary feature. Speechify's tool, however, primarily focuses on the voice experience as the core of user interaction. Rohan Pavuluri, Speechify's CEO of Business, stated to TechCrunch via email that "Chat will remain the primary default experience for ChatGPT and Gemini users. Voice, however, will always be a secondary feature or an add-on for those platforms. Through our years of experience developing Speechify, we realize there's a large segment of the market, including our users, who prefer voice to be the primary, default setting in every interaction with AI across applications."

Speechify's Future Plans and AI Agents

Current Challenges: Speechify's assistant is not compatible with browsers that integrate sidebar assistants, such as OpenAI's Atlas, Perplexity's Coment, and Dia. However, the startup continues to focus on this point, as the extension largely targets Chrome and its massive user base.

Comprehensive Integration: Speechify announced its future plans to gradually integrate voice typing and voice assistant features into all its applications, including desktop and mobile devices.

AI agents for task completion: Speechify also aspires to develop AI agents that complete tasks on behalf of users. Although a full roadmap has not been revealed, the company provided an example, such as making calls to schedule appointments or waiting in customer service queues, goals that other companies like Truecaller and Cloaked are also striving to achieve.