WaveForms AI, Led by ChatGPT Voice Creator, Raises $40M from a16z

Dec 9, 2024, 03:37 PM

Alexis Conneau, a key figure in the development of ChatGPT's voice capabilities, has launched WaveForms AI, a startup focused on creating AI assistants that can interpret and respond to emotional cues in speech. WaveForms AI has raised $40 million in seed funding from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) at a $200 million valuation. The company aims to solve the Speech Turing Test by developing an audio language model that processes audio natively, striving to create AI interactions that feel as natural as human conversation. Conneau's vision is to build technology reminiscent of the AI in the film 'Her,' but without the dystopian elements, focusing on emotional intelligence in AI.