The AI startup Respeecher has launched a new service for converting text to speech in Ukrainian, addressing the "plastic" accent issue common among many foreign voice technologies. This was announced by the Respeecher team.
The new service transforms text into audio files in Ukrainian and even in surzhik, offering a variety of voices that differ by gender, age, timbre, and tone. Users can select a voice based on their needs: advertising, announcements, audiobooks, or podcasts.
The free version allows speech synthesis for up to 1,500 characters with a limited number of voice changes. The paid version operates on a balance top-up model: $2 for 60,000 characters, which is roughly equivalent to one hour of audio.
Users can also request training for a specific voice model, such as that of an employee or public figure, enabling the AI assistant or chatbot to speak in their voice. For companies, integration is available via API.
"We wanted avatars, chatbots, and AI assistants from banks and telecom companies in Ukraine to finally speak real Ukrainian: with all its flexibility, uniqueness, dialects, and even surzhik, and most importantly, without the plastic accent that foreign services currently provide," said Dmitry Belevtsov, co-founder and CTO of Respeecher.
Respeecher emphasizes ethical considerations: voice cloning is only possible with the consent of the voice owner. Actor voices are added to the catalog only with their permission,
The company states that, for ethical reasons, they do not allow the cloning of a person's voice without their consent, and actors receive 25% royalties. All generated audio is moderated to prevent misuse.
Ukrainian startup Respeecher is well-known for voice cloning for platforms like Netflix, HBO, and Paramount. Since 2018, the team has been working with artificial neural networks and recently improved Adrian Brody's Hungarian accent in the Oscar-winning film "Brutalist" and rejuvenated the voice of 91-year-old James Earl Jones, who voiced Darth Vader in "Obi-Wan Kenobi."