Former OpenAI Lead Launches WaveForms AI to Tackle Speech Turing Test

Former OpenAI researcher Alexis Conneau has launched WaveForms AI, a new startup focused on improving spoken conversations between humans and machines. “I’m excited to announce the creation of WaveForms AI – an Audio LLM company that aims to solve the Speech Turing Test and bring Emotional Intelligence to AI,” he said in a post on X.

Conneau is one of the world’s leading audio and text LLM researchers and co-creator of OpenAI’s GPT-4 Advanced Voice Mode. He left the company in August and began working on WaveForms in September. The San Francisco-based startup aims to create AI audio software that can detect emotional cues and enable more natural verbal interactions with computers.

“We’re looking to make conversations so natural that users can’t differentiate between speaking to a human or an AI,” Conneau said. The company secured $40 million in seed funding from Andreessen Horowitz, valuing it at $200 million. 

“EQ is equally, if not more, important than IQ. To create the most immersive and human-like experiences, we need AI that truly feels like talking to a person. This includes giving AI a voice,” said a16z in a statement.

WaveForms AI currently operates with a lean team of just five employees, including Conneau and his co-founder Coralie Lemaitre, who previously worked in product strategy at Google. Conneau acknowledged the challenges ahead, saying, “We’re aware of the risks, including the possibility of users becoming too attached to AI characters. It's something we’re mindful of as we develop our models.”

The company has yet to release any public demos or product details, with Conneau revealing that WaveForms’ first products will launch in 2025. “It's too soon to dive into details, but expect us to prove our technology in the consumer space before expanding into business-to-business applications,” he said.