Krisp Launches AI-Powered Accent Conversion Tool for Real-Time Communication

Krisp is using AI to help Indians sound like Americans on calls | TechCrunch

Audio startup Krisp on Wednesday said it is launching a new feature that uses AI to change a user's accent during calls. The company is initially rolling out support for changing Indian English accents to U.S. English. The startup says the accent conversion process preserves the speaker's voice and only switches phonemes to match American accents. The feature has apparently been tested in enterprise environments, and a beta version is now coming to the Krisp desktop app. Users can turn the feature on any time during or before calls. Arto Minasyan, the company's co-founder, said the idea for the feature stemmed from a problem he faced in his conversations. "Many people don't understand my accent even though I am speaking English well. We thought changing accents might help people understand each other much better. We started working on this problem two years ago and now we are releasing it in beta," Minasyan said. However, when this reporter tested the feature, the processed voice didn't sound natural and even missed some words at times. The company attributed those faults to this being a beta release, saying the model would improve over time. Krisp claims that when it tested the feature with enterprises, sales conversion rates rose by 26.1% and revenue per book jumped by 14.8%. The company said that it decided to work on Indian accents first as people from the country account for a large portion of the global workforce in STEM fields. There are plans to add support for more accents, including Filipino. Other startups like GV-backed Sanas have deployed similar technology in call centers at scale. The company says it trained the model on thousands of speech samples that covered different accents and dialects, and used data from its meeting assistant after getting user consent. Minasyan said another advantage of the feature is that it doesn't need any pre-training on a user's voice as it creates a profile for the speaker in real time. Krisp, which last raised capital in 2021, plans to release iOS and Android apps this year to support in-person meetings. There's also a new Chrome extension for better integration with Google Meet in the works.

This company is using AI to give people American-sounding accents

Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Krisp, the company best known for its noise cancellation app, is launching a new AI tool that's supposed to convert a speaker's accent to American English in real time. The tool comes bundled in Krisp's existing desktop app and acts as a virtual microphone to modify the sound of someone's voice across video conferencing apps like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Webex. Krisp says AI Accent Conversion can convert someone's accent with a 200ms latency, which it calls "an imperceptible delay in conversations," all while preserving their natural speaking voice. In the demo shared by the company, the tool seems to do a decent job at making someone sound American, but the speech sounded a bit robotic. The tool currently supports more than 17 Indian dialects, but Krisp says it plans to add other English accents in the future, such as Filipino. Krisp first rolled out the tool to call center agencies before its broader release. "As someone with an accent, I've often noticed that people struggle to understand me, even when my English is fluent," Arto Minasyan, the co-founder and president of Krisp, says in the press release. "This isn't about bias -- it's simply a reality of communication. In fast-paced meetings, even small misunderstandings can slow down decisions, cause repetition, and reduce overall efficiency." AI Accent Conversion is launching in beta, and free users can use it for up to 60 minutes per day. There's also a $15 / month business plan for unlimited use. Krisp isn't the only company using AI in an attempt to change someone's accent. The call center company Teleperformance SE has already started rolling out an AI-powered tool that "softens" Indian workers' accents, according to Bloomberg. But AI has a murky track record when it comes to dealing with race and ethnicity, and AI voice generation is a risk on its own.

This new AI tool changes a speaker's accent to American English in real-time - hear for yourself

Krisp, an AI startup known for its noise cancellation and transcription services, is launching a new AI tool that can convert a speaker's accent to American English in real time. The company claims the tool can help native speakers better understand non-native English speakers "more easily, without changing [their] natural voice and vocal traits." The company is initially rolling out support for altering 17 Indian dialects into US English but plans to expand in the future with Filipino and more. The tool is compatible with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and other meeting app platforms. So, as long as users have access to Krisp's existing desktop app, the tool can "clarify" accents. Also: Deepfake detection service Loti AI expands access to all users - for free According to Krisp's website, Indian accents were the first accents the company wanted to work on because people from the region are a large segment of the global workforce, especially within STEM fields. The tool was tested in call center enterprises prior to its widespread release and trained on thousands of speech samples that covered different accents and dialects. Krisp says the AI accent conversion feature enables accent reduction to match American accents while maintaining the authenticity of the speaker's original voice. After listening to the audio demos -- with and without Krisp -- the accented voices were clear and understandable, while the non-accented voices sounded computerized. However, Krisp did an impressive job transforming the non-accented voices into Americanized ones. In the press release, Arto Minasyan, the co-founder and president of Krisp, stated, "As someone with an accent, I've often noticed that people struggle to understand me, even when my English is fluent." "This isn't about bias -- it's simply a reality of communication. In fast-paced meetings, even small misunderstandings can slow down decisions, cause repetition, and reduce overall efficiency," Minasyan further explained. Also: Google Workspace 'Feature Drop' delivers better meetings, videos, translations By decreasing communicative barriers, Krisp AI accent conversion offerings could benefit international teams and businesses. However, AI has been known to produce inaccuracies and perpetuate bias when dealing with race and ethnicity. AI Accent Conversion is launching in beta. Free users can use it for up to 60 minutes per day. An unlimited-use $15/month business plan, more suitable for enterprise settings, will also be available. Get the morning's top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter.

Can Your Accent Jeopardize a Job? Krisp's AI Tool Thinks It Has the Fix -- But at What Cost? - Decrypt

Clear communication is crucial in today's global workforce, but for some, it's easier than for others. On Tuesday, Krisp, an audio AI software developer, introduced an Accent Conversion tool to break down language barriers by altering how a person's voice comes through to listeners. While the technology promises inclusivity, it also raises concerns about cultural biases, cultural identity, and what it means to "sound professional." Krisp's AI Accent Converter aims to enable more inclusive and equitable hiring practices by eliminating perception bias and ensuring that a person's accent does not influence how professional or trustworthy customers perceive them. According to Krisp co-founder Arto Minasyan, a recent study revealed a significant perception gap between customers and contact centers. "In our study, 79% of U.S. customers said they ask non-native English speaking agents to repeat themselves at least once per call, yet only 33% of contact centers believe this happens," Minasyan told Decrypt. "This gap leads to lower satisfaction and frustration for both sides of the meeting." Minasyan noted that companies either reject candidates with strong accents, disqualifying an average of 64% of agents, or have to invest in costly accent training. Launched in 2017 by Minasyan and Davit Baghdasaryan, Krisp is an AI-based audio processing software company based in Berkeley, California. It specializes in real-time noise and voice suppression technology. Minasyan explained that the tool doesn't distinguish between accents but instead converts speech to match a specific target accent. During the conversion process, Krisp captures characteristics from the user's voice and incorporates them into the final output. "This approach helps maintain a more natural-sounding voice and preserves the emotional tone of the original input," he said. While users can toggle the AI accent converter on and off in real time, Minasyan said the option to adjust the conversion level is not currently available. Even though AI accent tools may improve employment opportunities, they also carry risks of misuse. These concerns prompted the FBI to warn in May 2024 about scammers leveraging AI-powered voice software to carry out phishing scams. Leading up to the 2024 Presidential election, the FCC banned Robocalls that use AI-generated candidates' voices after a deepfake of then-President Joe Biden was used to try and trick voters in New Hampshire into not voting. When asked about the potential for misuse by cybercriminals, Minasyan acknowledged the risks, noting that Krisp's tools, like cellphones, laptops, or the Internet, can be exploited despite their intended purpose. "While we recognize that misuse is a concern, it is not feasible to fully monitor how the tool is used without compromising user privacy," he said. Still, there is hope that the technology will be used primarily for good rather than for other purposes. "We haven't directly consulted with sociolinguists, but we've tested the technology in real-life settings with customers before making it widely available," Minasyan said. The founder pointed to several internal metrics, including a 99% improvement in a net promoter score, a more than 26% increase in sales conversion rates, and a 12.2% boost in its agent promoter score, showcasing a "higher agent confidence." "Seeing these improvements on both the user and customer sides has strengthened our confidence that the technology does not introduce major cultural or business downsides," he said.

Krisp feature adjusts accents during video meetings - SiliconANGLE

Krisp Technologies Inc., a developer of software for noise cancellation, transcription and summarization of live meetings, today is introducing AI Accent Conversion, an artificial intelligence-based technology that makes heavily accented speech more understandable to English speakers. The company, whose service is compatible with most popular conferencing platforms, says it transcribes more than 50 million calls and processes more than 75 billion minutes of voice conversations every month, The desktop application acts as a virtual microphone, modifying the speaker's voice with 200 milliseconds of processing latency, or about the time it takes to blink your eyes once. Krisp said AI Accent Conversion preserves the speaker's original voice, converting only the phonemes of speech to match native American English pronunciation. Emotions, tone and natural speech patterns intact. The company holds two patents on the technology. Initial tests with business-to-business customers showed that using accent conversion increased a company's Net Promoter Score from 7.23 to 8.29, pushed sales conversion rates up 26% and grew revenue per booking by nearly 15%. Krisp President and Co-founder Arto Minasyan, who is Armenian, said the technology addresses a problem he has experienced personally. Even small misunderstandings can slow down decisions, require repetition and reduce meeting efficiency. "While improving an accent is possible, it takes years of practice and is incredibly difficult for busy professionals," he said in a prepared statement. AI Accent Conversion will initially support Indian English accents but will expand to support Filipino, South American Spanish and others, the company said. The feature will be integrated into Krisp's AI Meeting Assistant, which provides noise cancellation, transcripts and summaries, multiple languages, video recordings, action items and meeting outlines. The software works directly on supported devices without sharing data externally. A demo video is available here. It will initially be available under a free plan with up to 90 minutes of usage per day and a $15 per month business plan with unlimited usage.

New AI tech can change your accent (but only to North American)

A new AI meeting assistant, Krisp, aims to make speakers more easily understood by changing their accent to make it sound North American. The company claims this will make people more easily understood in global meetings. The app works with conferencing platforms including Zoom, Teams, Google Meet and Webex and modifies the speaker's voice in real time, with just 200ms of processing latency (an imperceptible lag). Krisp works by modifying the phonemes of speech to make them sound like American English. With AI productivity tools now having more of an impact in meetings, with many people using AI transcription services, this could be seen as the next logical step. But do we really want everyone to sound exactly the same? Arto Minasyan, co-founder/president of Krisp, knows how challenging it can be to communicate effectively in global business settings with a non-native accent. "As someone with an accent, I've often noticed that people struggle to understand me, even when my English is fluent," he explains. "This isn't about bias - it's simply a reality of communication. In fast-paced meetings, even small misunderstandings can slow down decisions, cause repetition, and reduce overall efficiency. And while improving an accent is possible, it takes years of practice and is incredibly difficult for busy professionals. AI Accent Conversion bridges this gap instantly, ensuring that ideas are heard clearly and conversations flow smoothly, no matter where the speaker is from." Krisp currently works for Indian accents, with other accents such as Filipino and South American coming soon. It also assists in meetings with other functions such as generating meeting summaries and providing transcriptions. A free plan with up to 60 minutes per day is available, and a business plan costs $15 per month. I see that there may be use cases for Krisp, but it also makes me a little sad to think of a homogenised world where individual accents are no longer. If we are going to embrace this technology, it would also be good if there were more options for different accents to convert from/to. What do you think of the tech? Let us know in the comments.