Smallest.ai raises $13M to build ultra-fast voice AI that sounds genuinely human
Smallest.ai has raised $13 million to develop specialized voice AI models designed to mimic human conversation patterns with near-zero latency. The startup aims to replace standard large language models for voice interactions by using smaller, faster models that can listen and speak simultaneously.
Why it matters
Advancements in low-latency voice AI could significantly improve the naturalness of customer service interactions and human-computer interfaces.
While AI agents are increasingly capable of solving customer support problems, most people can still tell immediately when they’re talking to a machine instead of a human.
Smallest.ai , a startup founded in late 2024, is betting the next leap in voice agents will not come from making large language models faster, but from using smaller, specialized models built for human conversation. Simply put, the company wants to make speaking to an AI agent indistinguishable from talking to a human.
To do so, it’s developing a small voice model designed to mimic how humans process information by listening, thinking, and speaking simultaneously.
“While I’m speaking to you, you’re already thinking, and you might interrupt me if I talk for too long,” Sudarshan Kamath (pictured left), founder and CEO of Smallest.ai, told TechCrunch, adding that this is exactly how the startup’s model is designed to work.
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