Respeecher

Last updated
Respeecher
Industry AI
Founded2018
FounderAlex Serdiuk, Dmytro Bielievtsov, Grant Reaber
Headquarters
Kyiv
,
Ukraine
Website www.respeecher.com

Respeecher is a Ukrainian software company developing speech synthesis software enabling one person to speak in the voice of another particular person using artificial intelligence.

Contents

History

Respeecher was founded in February 2018. A year later, the startup completed the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars.[ citation needed ] They received $1.5 million in startup funding in early March 2020. [1]

Since 2018, Respeecher have raised over $3 million in investments and share their technology with Hollywood movie studios, video game creators, and other businesses. [2] [3] [4] The Respeecher team, most of which is located in Ukraine, was able to continue working despite the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. [5] [6]

In December 2020, Respeecher was credited in the season finale of Disney streaming TV series The Mandalorian for synthesizing the voice of young Luke Skywalker. [7] [8] In February 2021, they worked on the voice of Vince Lombardi for the Super Bowl commercial. [9]

In September 2021, the Respeecher team was awarded with an Emmy for interactive documentary for their work on Richard Nixon's voice (combined with the dialogue being performed by another actor) in the internet short film "In Event of Moon Disaster". [10] [11]

In February 2022, Respeecher was credited in "Chapter 6" of The Book of Boba Fett, for providing the synthetic voice of young Luke Skywalker. [12]

In March 2022, Respeecher enabled multilingual singing voice cloning for Aloe Blacc's tribute to Avicii. [13]

On June 27, 2022, the company created an AI voice for Darth Vader based on actor James Earl Jones's archive recordings from earlier Star Wars projects in the TV series Obi-Wan Kenobi. [14] [15] [16] Jones signed a deal with Lucasfilm authorizing his voice to be used in this manner for future productions, [17] and subsequently retired from voicing the character later that year. [18]

In November 2022, the first synthetic speech artist was credited in Sony’s video game God of War Ragnarök . [19]

In February 2023, Respeecher, alongside OpenAI and TikTok, was among the initial 10 companies to pledge commitment to the Partnership on AI's community-driven framework. This framework aims to guide the ethical and responsible development, creation, and sharing of synthetic media and AI technology. [20]

In October 2023, CD Projekt announced they had used Respeecher to synthesize the voice of Miłogost Reczek, who died in 2021, for the Polish language release of the Cyberpunk 2077 expansion Phantom Liberty. They said they had obtained permission from Reczek’s family. [21]

In 2023, the company actively contributed to the development of the "Zvook" [22] - acoustic sensor system, a project endorsed by Brave1, tailored to meet the specific requirements of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Company representatives played a pivotal role by providing expertise in automation and signal identification, enhancing the system's capability to discern the origin of impacts and effectively contribute to military operations. [23]

In 2024, Respeecher endorsed the NO FAKES Act [24] - legislative measure is vital in safeguarding individual rights against unauthorized use of their voice and likeness in the age of advanced artificial intelligence and deepfake technology.

Contribution to creative projects

Films

YearTitleNotes
2024 The Brutalist
2024 Alien: Romulus
2024 Emilia Pérez
2023 Nyad
2023 Dangerous Waters
2023 The Exorcist: Believer
2019In Event of Moon DisasterVoice of Richard Nixon

Television

YearTitleNotes
2024 Unter Uns Voice of Margot Weigel
2024 Crooks
2024Sunny
2023 Neue Geschichten vom Pumuckl Voice of Hans Clarin
2023GoliathVoice of Wilt Chamberlain
2022 Obi-Wan Kenobi Voice of Darth Vader
2022 The Book of Boba Fett Voice of Luke Skywalker
2020 The Mandalorian Voice of Luke Skywalker
2018 Lost in Space

Video games

YearTitleNotes
2023 Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Voice of Viktor Vektor
2022 God of War Ragnarök

Music

YearArtistTrackNotes
2023 Riky Rick "Stronger"Track created from the late Riky Rick's social media posts [25]
2022 Aloe Blacc "Wake Me Up"A tribut to Avicii performed on multiple languages [26]

Project awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryProjectStatus
2024Campaign Audio Advertising AwardsBest Use of AIBBC promo for The Capture Won
2024 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize Emilia Perez Won
2024 The Webby Awards Best Art Direction

AI, Metaverse, & Virtual

The Impossible Bedtime StoryWon
2024 The Webby Awards Accessible Technology

Websites and Mobile Sites

The Impossible Bedtime StoryWon
2024 Sports Emmy Awards Best Documentary SeriesGoliath, a Showtime/Paramount+ documentary series about Wilt Chamberlain Nominated
2023 Clio Entertainment Awards Gold WinnerMTV News promo for Yellowjackets Won
2023 The Webby Awards People's Voice Winner

Best Use of AI and ML

Once Upon a Time in Carrotland audiobook narrated by JOLLY's Josh CarrottWon
2021 News & Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Interactive Media: DocumentaryIn Event of Moon Disaster deepfake documentaryWon

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boba Fett</span> Fictional character in the Star Wars franchise

Boba Fett is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. First appearing in the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), where he was voiced by Don Francks, he is an armored bounty hunter featured in both the original and prequel film trilogies. In the original trilogy, the character is a supporting antagonist and was mainly portrayed by Jeremy Bulloch and voiced by Jason Wingreen. Notable for his taciturn demeanor and for never removing his helmet, Fett appears in both The Empire Strikes Back (1980), employed by the Galactic Empire, and Return of the Jedi (1983), serving the crime lord Jabba the Hutt. While seemingly killed in Return of the Jedi after falling into a sarlacc, he has since appeared in Star Wars media set after the film, confirming his survival within the new canon, portrayed by Temuera Morrison. Daniel Logan plays a preteen Boba in the prequel film Attack of the Clones (2002), which reveals the character's origins as the genetic clone and adoptive son of Jango Fett, also a famous bounty hunter. Morrison appeared first in Star Wars media playing Jango. The animated series The Bad Batch further reveals Boba to have been born Alpha, and to have a biological twin sister, Omega. The series also reveals that he has another sister named Emerie Karr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Skywalker</span> Character in Star Wars

Luke Skywalker is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He was introduced in the original film trilogy and also appears in the sequel trilogy. Raised as a moisture farmer on the planet Tatooine, Luke joins the Rebel Alliance and becomes a pivotal figure in the struggle against the Galactic Empire. He trains as a Jedi under Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, and eventually confronts his father, the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Years later, Luke trains his nephew Ben Solo and mentors the scavenger Rey. Luke is the twin brother of Leia Organa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darth Vader</span> Character in the Star Wars franchise

Darth Vader is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He was first introduced in the original film trilogy as one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire. The prequel trilogy chronicles his transformation from the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into the Sith Lord Darth Vader. His metamorphosis begins when he is lured to the dark side of the Force by Chancellor Palpatine, who later becomes the Emperor. After a lightsaber battle with his former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader is severely injured and is transformed into a cyborg. He serves Palpatine for over two decades, hunting down the remaining Jedi and attempting to crush the Rebel Alliance. When Palpatine tries to kill Vader's son, Luke Skywalker, the Sith Lord turns against his master and destroys him. Vader is the husband of Padmé Amidala, the father of Luke and his twin sister Leia Organa, and the grandfather of Ben Solo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R2-D2</span> Fictional character from Star Wars

R2-D2 or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical Star Wars films to date, including every film in the "Skywalker Saga", which includes the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and the sequel trilogy. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, an astromech droid, is a friend to C-3PO, Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. R2-D2 and his companion C-3PO are the only characters to appear in every theatrical Star Wars film, with the exception of Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tusken Raiders</span> Fictional alien race

Tusken Raiders are a fictional alien race in the Star Wars franchise. They first appeared in Star Wars (1977).

<i>Tales of the Bounty Hunters</i> 1996 anthology edited by Kevin J. Anderson

Tales of the Bounty Hunters (1996) is an anthology of short stories set in the fictional Star Wars universe. It presents the background stories about each bounty hunter that was seen aboard Darth Vader's Star Destroyer in the film The Empire Strikes Back. It contains the tales of IG-88, Dengar, Bossk, Zuckuss and 4-LOM, and Boba Fett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahsoka Tano</span> Fictional character in the Star Wars franchise

Ahsoka Tano is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. She was introduced as the 14-year-old Togruta Jedi Padawan of Anakin Skywalker in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) before appearing in the subsequent animated television series ; the sequel series Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018); in the live-action film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) as a voiceover cameo; and in the miniseries Tales of the Jedi (2022), voiced by Ashley Eckstein. In 2020, Ahsoka made her live-action debut in the second season of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, portrayed by Rosario Dawson. Dawson reprised the role in a 2022 episode of the spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett, and the 2023 series, Ahsoka.

A Star Wars Pez is a Pez candy dispenser themed after the Star Wars movies, and is one of the company's most prominent merchandising deals. Approximately 100 dispensers have been released on the market from 1997 to 2023, among the many collectibles spawned by the franchise.

<i>Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II</i> 2008 American TV series or program

"Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II" is a 2008 episode of the television comedy series Robot Chicken, and the sequel to the Annie Award winning "Robot Chicken: Star Wars", which aired as a one-off special during Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block on November 16, 2008. Like "Robot Chicken: Star Wars", it has been released on its own DVD on July 21, 2009, and will not be part of a season box set. The DVD contains the original broadcast version, and the "Extended Version", which features an additional 15 minutes of footage cut from the broadcast version. It was nominated for a 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

<i>Star Wars</i> Weekends Former annual event held in Disneys Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort

Star Wars Weekends was a festival held annually at the Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park of the Walt Disney World Resort. Included with park admission, the event typically occurred on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for four consecutive weekends in May and June and featured appearances by cast and crew members from Disney's Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. Many original Disney characters also appeared dressed as Star Wars characters, such as Jedi Mickey, Minnie as Leia, Donald as a stormtrooper, Goofy as Darth Vader and R2-MK. The festival began in 1997 and had been held in 2000, 2001, and annually from 2003 until 2015. In November 2015, Disney discontinued the event due to construction of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and the larger daily presence Star Wars will have in the park onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jango Fett</span> Fictional character in the Star Wars universe

Jango Fett is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, created by George Lucas. He first appeared as the secondary antagonist of the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, played by Temuera Morrison. The character is a Mandalorian bounty hunter, regarded as the best mercenary in the galaxy of his era, and the father of Boba Fett, an unmodified clone of Jango whom he kept as payment for serving as the genetic template of the Galactic Republic's clone army and raised as his son. After Jango's death at the hands of Mace Windu, Boba follows in his father's footsteps, using his father's armor, equipment, and ship, Slave I, to become a successful bounty hunter in his own right. The animated series The Bad Batch further reveals two daughters of Jango to have been grown alongside Boba, without Jango's knowledge: Omega and Emerie Karr.

<i>Star Wars</i> Transformers Toyline

Star Wars Transformers is a Hasbro toy line started in 2006. The line features robot versions of various characters from the Star Wars franchise that transform into vehicles from the same series. Now, they can usually range from $30 to $400, depending on the product.

<i>Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III</i> 2010 American TV series or program

"Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III" is a 2010 episode special of the television comedy series Robot Chicken, and the third and final installment in the Annie Award-winning and Emmy-nominated Robot Chicken: Star Wars trilogy. It premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block on December 19, 2010. The special is 45 minutes long, as opposed to the usual 11-minute Robot Chicken runtime and the 21-minute runtime of the two previous Star Wars specials. It was the final Robot Chicken: Star Wars special.

<i>Obi-Wan Kenobi</i> (miniseries) American television miniseries

Obi-Wan Kenobi is an American space opera television miniseries produced by Lucasfilm for the streaming service Disney+. It is part of the Star Wars franchise. Set ten years after the Jedi Order was purged during the events of the film Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), the series follows surviving Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi who emerges from hiding to rescue the kidnapped Princess Leia from the Galactic Empire's Inquisitors. This brings Kenobi into conflict with his former apprentice, Darth Vader.

<i>The Book of Boba Fett</i> American television miniseries

The Book of Boba Fett is an American space Western television miniseries created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is part of the Star Wars franchise and a spin-off from The Mandalorian, taking place in the same timeframe as that series and its other interconnected spin-offs after the events of the film Return of the Jedi (1983). The Book of Boba Fett follows bounty hunter Boba Fett from The Mandalorian and other Star Wars media as he establishes himself as the new crime lord of Jabba the Hutt's former territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapter 16: The Rescue</span> 8th episode of the 2nd season of The Mandalorian

"Chapter 16: The Rescue" is the eighth and final episode of the second season of the American television series The Mandalorian. It was written by showrunner Jon Favreau and directed by Peyton Reed. It was released on Disney+ on December 18, 2020. The episode received strong critical acclaim, in particular for the action sequences, Reed's direction, writing, performances, score, and emotional weight, with the surprise cameo of a digitally de-aged Luke Skywalker being a major highlight among fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Krrsantan</span> Star Wars character

Black Krrsantan, or simply Krrsantan, sometimes Black K, BK or Santy, is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Created by writer Kieron Gillen, artist Salvador Larroca, and editors Jordan D. White and Heather Antos, he first appeared in Marvel Comics' 2015 Darth Vader comic book series as a major antagonist, before returning as a supporting character in its 2016 spin-off comic book series, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, as well as 2015's ongoing Star Wars comic book series. He made his first live-action appearance in the Disney+ miniseries The Book of Boba Fett (2022), mainly portrayed by Carey Jones.

References

  1. ↑ "Ukrainian "deepfake-for-good" startup Respeecher raises $1.5 million". Tech.eu. 2020-03-04. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  2. ↑ Sylvers, Eric (2022-09-13). "Ukrainian Startups Secure Funding Even as War Endures". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  3. ↑ "AI Voice Replication Is Transforming Star Wars And Other Media". Discover Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  4. ↑ Moses, Lucia. "9 startups bringing AI tech to Netflix, Lucasfilm, Marvel, and more Hollywood studios — and attracting millions in VC funding". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  5. ↑ "Darth Vader's Voice Emanated From War-Torn Ukraine". Vanity Fair. 2022-09-23. Archived from the original on 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  6. ↑ Katie Wickens (2022-08-23). "Respect to the Ukrainian sound engineer who worked on Star Wars voices between air raid sirens". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  7. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (2022-03-22). "How Ukrainian Company Respeecher De-Aged Mark Hamill's Voice for 'Boba Fett' and 'The Mandalorian'". Variety. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  8. ↑ Ratcliffe, Amy (2021-08-25). "THE MANDALORIAN Used Voice Cloning Software for Luke Skywalker's Voice". Nerdist. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  9. ↑ Haggerty, Charles (2021-03-15). "Lombardi Super Bowl Ad Features Voice Technology by LIFT Labs Alum Respeecher". Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  10. ↑ Fiscutean, Andrada (2021-10-21). "Nixon's unheard moon-disaster speech is now a warning about the deepfake future". ZDNET. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  11. ↑ Zosia, Wanat (13 Feb 2023). "Colleagues under fire, spooked investors and an Emmy award: Ukrainian founders on a year of war". Sifted. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  12. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (2022-03-22). "How Ukrainian Company Respeecher De-Aged Mark Hamill's Voice for 'Boba Fett' and 'The Mandalorian'". Variety. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  13. ↑ Bain, Katie (2022-04-21). "Watch Aloe Blacc Sing 'Wake Me Up' in Three Languages to Honor Fourth Anniversary of Avicii's Death". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  14. ↑ Andrew, Scottie (2022-09-26). "James Earl Jones is hanging up his cape as Darth Vader". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  15. ↑ "Star Wars: James Earl Jones steps back from Darth Vader role". BBC News. 2022-09-26. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  16. ↑ Hern, Alex (2022-09-27). "The droids you're looking for: how Ukrainian AI recreated Darth Vader's voice". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  17. ↑ Breznican, Anthony (September 23, 2022). "Darth Vader's Voice Emanated From War-Torn Ukraine". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  18. ↑ Bell, BreAnna (September 24, 2022). "James Earl Jones Steps Back From Voicing Darth Vader, Signs Off on Using Archived Recordings to Recreate Voice With A.I." Variety. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  19. ↑ Guevara, Renzo (2022-11-11). "God of War Ragnarok Director reveals why Atreus' voice changed". UnGeek. Archived from the original on 2023-05-02. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  20. ↑ "How to create, release, and share generative AI responsibly". MIT Technology Review. Archived from the original on 2023-05-17. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  21. ↑ Schreier, Jason (2023-10-12). "Video Game Cyberpunk 2077 Uses AI To Replace Deceased Voice Actor". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  22. ↑ "Zvook project is a network of acoustic sensors for detecting airborne objects". www.zvook.tech. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  23. ↑ #Brave1 Система акустичних сенсорів Zvook , retrieved 2024-01-18
  24. ↑ "Respeecher Endorses the NO FAKES Act". www.respeecher.com. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  25. ↑ "Resurrecting the Voice of Riky Rick". www.respeecher.com. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  26. ↑ "Respeecher Helps Aloe Blacc Pay Tribute to Avicii and Sing 'Wake Me Up' in Five Languages". www.respeecher.com. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.