Block unveils Dessa, a speech-only AI that learns solely from human dialogue
Block announced Dessa, an AI that converses using only spoken input and was trained exclusively on human speech, showcasing sample chats that feel both natural and occasionally awkward.
Block, the firm founded by Jack Dorsey, introduced a new AI called Dessa that operates entirely through spoken interaction, having been trained only on human speech recordings. Sample exchanges posted by the project lead, Ragavan Thurairatnam, show the model engaging in fluid conversation, though it sometimes makes odd mistakes, such as confusing a user with the name "Ronaldo" or drifting into unrelated film tangents. The website highlights additional demos, including a dialogue about a surprise trip to Paris and a side-by-side chat with OpenAI's GPT-Live-1 voice model, where Dessa appears more natural.
According to the developers, the system can run locally on a MacBook Pro M4 Max or better, and early access will be granted to a select group of AI safety researchers. The creators cite three motivations: pure curiosity, fostering better human-AI communication, and improving safety by enabling voice AI to detect emotional cues that current systems miss.
Why it matters
Dessa could reshape voice AI by eliminating text conversion, making interactions more natural and safer.
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