AI Voices That Engage: How Voice Direction Can Enhance Speech Models & User Trust
Overview
AI-generated voices are now nearly indistinguishable from human speech yet research shows that listeners still detect them 73% of the time. So, what’s missing?
In this engaging session, we’ll explore how vocal performance coaching and direction can improve AI voice models - whether the goal is clear, efficient TTS for home assistants or emotionally expressive AI voices for creative projects.
Drawing on real-world AI voice projects, including a large-scale TTS assistant and insights from Sonantic’s groundbreaking "Faith" AI voice, this talk will:
- Examine how prosody, breath, and vocal variation impact user engagement
- Discuss the role of direction in AI voice data capture—and why it matters
- Raise ethical questions about the future of AI voices—will users ever truly believe an AI voice?
The session will be interactive, discussion-led, and thought-provoking, designed for AI developers, voice engineers, and anyone interested in how technology and human expression intersect.
Registration
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How to get involved
Please read the information back below, and then fill out an expression of interest form. This will let us know you’d like to take part, what age the participating children are and whether you’d like any support from us or an ‘industry mentor.’
Plan your challenge, consider your resources and the participating students. Challenges can be completed in small or large groups. but please be aware that only 8-10 students from selected schools will be able to attend the celebration event.
Submit your challenge responses via our online form below. Your school can submit up to 10 entries. The deadline for responses is Friday 9 May, 2025. Please get in touch if you are struggling to meet the deadline.
The Schools Challenge steering committee will identify a small group of students from selected schools to be invited to a celebration event on the morning of Friday 20 June at South Shields Customs House.
If selected, you will be invited to attend by 23 May. There will also be an opportunity to display students‘ work as part of a number of public
exhibitions across local authority areas.
If you have any issues, contact us via email: getinvolved@technext.co.uk
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