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AI + a16z

Building the Next Generation of Conversational AI

Mar 14, 2025
Ankit Kumar, Co-founder and CTO of Sesame AI, dives into the cutting-edge world of conversational AI. He discusses the technical hurdles of real-time speech generation and the balance between personality and efficiency in AI interactions. The conversation highlights the impact of open-sourcing their speech model and the significance of full-duplex conversation modeling. Kumar also explores the evolution of natural language as a user interface and its implications for redefining human-computer interaction, offering insights into innovation and user experience.
01:41:37

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Quick takeaways

  • Sesame AI prioritizes natural voice interactions by overcoming technical challenges in real-time speech generation and full-duplex conversation modeling.
  • Open-sourcing specific components of their speech model serves to balance community collaboration with maintaining competitive advantages in AI research.

Deep dives

The Vision of Conversational AI

The development of conversational AI, particularly through the Sesame platform, focuses on creating a more human-like interaction experience. This involves not just technological advancements but also designing systems that can produce natural, engaging conversations. The creators emphasize that understanding the qualitative aspects of user experience is just as important as the underlying machine learning technology. They see their work as not merely developing AI tools but redefining how users communicate with technology.

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