ElevenLabs targets voice AI services in all 22 Indian languages, says CEO

On a recent Tuesday, the Karnataka Government inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ElevenLabs Inc., a leading voice AI company based in the United States. This collaboration aimed to delve into the application of Voice AI for responsible innovation, citizen services, and social impact, as confirmed by government officials. The partnership was formalized through the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), an entity under the Department of Electronics, Information Technology, and Biotechnology.

The MoU set the stage for three primary objectives: the creation of a comprehensive Voice AI safety framework, the utilization of AI-powered voice restoration technology to assist individuals who have lost their speaking abilities, and the exploration of Voice AI applications to enhance the accessibility of governmental services for citizens, according to an official statement.

Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge emphasized that the ultimate measure of AI's success should be its tangible impact on people's lives, highlighting the potential of Voice AI to make government services more accessible and citizen-friendly.

The partnership between Karnataka and ElevenLabs presented an opportunity to tackle both the challenges and benefits of Voice AI. Together, they would work on developing a platform-independent Voice AI safety framework for the state. ElevenLabs would provide its technical expertise to bolster Karnataka's Responsible AI framework, with a particular focus on addressing the risks related to voice and audio AI.

The collaboration would explore safeguards against deepfake detection, audio provenance and watermarking, consent mechanisms for voice cloning, restrictions on cloning public figures, and protection against voice fraud and impersonation.

As part of the agreement, ElevenLabs would offer free lifetime licenses under its One Million Voices program to eligible citizens, as identified by the State government or its designated partners. These licenses would provide access to ElevenLabs' advanced Voice AI technology, aimed at empowering individuals and enhancing the overall citizen experience with government services.