ElevenLabs co-founder and CEO Mati Staniszewski posits that voice is emerging as the subsequent primary interface for artificial intelligence. He envisions this as the evolving method by which individuals will engage with machines, particularly as AI models advance beyond traditional text and screen-based interactions.
During his address at Web Summit in Doha, Staniszewski informed TechCrunch that advanced voice models, such as those pioneered by ElevenLabs, have transcended mere imitation of human speech, including its emotional nuances and intonation. These models now operate synergistically with the reasoning faculties of large language models, a development he asserts is fundamentally transforming human interaction with technology.
Looking to the future, he expressed a vision where, “hopefully all our phones will go back in our pockets, and we can immerse ourselves in the real world around us, with voice as the mechanism that controls technology.”
This forward-looking perspective significantly contributed to ElevenLabs' recent $500 million funding round, valuing the company at $11 billion, and is a sentiment gaining widespread acceptance across the AI sector. Industry giants like OpenAI and Google have strategically positioned voice at the core of their upcoming AI models. Concurrently, Apple is reportedly developing always-on, voice-related technologies, evidenced by acquisitions such as Q.ai. As AI integrates more deeply into wearables, vehicles, and novel hardware platforms, the paradigm of control is shifting from tactile screen interaction to verbal commands, establishing voice as a critical frontier in the subsequent evolution of AI.
Seth Pierrepont, a general partner at Iconiq Capital, affirmed this perspective during his own presentation at Web Summit. He contended that while screens will undoubtedly retain their importance for gaming and entertainment applications, conventional input mechanisms such as keyboards are increasingly perceived as “outdated.”
Furthermore, Pierrepont elaborated that as AI systems evolve to become more “agentic” — capable of independent action and decision-making — the nature of interaction will transform. These models will incorporate guardrails, integrations, and contextual understanding, enabling them to respond effectively with significantly less explicit prompting from users.
Staniszewski highlighted this agentic transformation as one of the most significant shifts currently in progress. He explained that instead of users having to articulate every instruction, future voice systems will progressively leverage persistent memory and cumulative context, thereby fostering more natural interactions and demanding less cognitive effort from individuals.
This evolution, he further noted, will significantly impact the deployment strategies for voice models. While high-fidelity audio models have traditionally resided predominantly in the cloud, Staniszewski revealed that ElevenLabs is developing a hybrid processing methodology, combining cloud-based and on-device capabilities. This strategic move is designed to support emerging hardware, such as advanced headphones and other wearables, where voice functionality transitions from an optional feature to an ever-present companion.
ElevenLabs has already forged a partnership with Meta, integrating its sophisticated voice technology into products such as Instagram and Horizon Worlds, Meta's virtual reality platform. Staniszewski also indicated his willingness to collaborate with Meta on their Ray-Ban smart glasses, anticipating the expansion of voice-driven interfaces into diverse new form factors.
However, the increasing pervasiveness of voice technology, deeply embedded within everyday hardware, inevitably raises substantial concerns regarding privacy, potential surveillance, and the extent of personal data that these voice-based systems will accumulate as they become more intimately integrated into users' daily routines. This is a critical area where companies such as Google have previously faced accusations of misuse.
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