Speechify adds voice typing and voice assistant to its Chrome extension

Speechify, primarily known for its ability to convert articles, PDFs, and other documents into audible formats, is stepping into the spotlight with an innovative update to its Chrome extension. The company is integrating advanced voice detection capabilities, including voice typing and a voice assistant designed to respond to user inquiries. In the past year, the surge in the development of voice detection tools can be attributed to significant advancements in speech recognition technology. Capitalizing on this trend, Speechify is launching its own dictation tool that currently supports English. Similar to other voice typing applications, it aims to correct errors and eliminate unnecessary filler words. However, early users have noted areas that could benefit from further refinement. While the tool performs adequately on platforms like Gmail and Google Docs, users have reported challenges when attempting to use voice dictation on WordPress, indicating that the company is still optimizing for popular websites. In terms of performance, the word error rate for Speechify's tool appears to be higher than competitors such as Wispr Flow, Willow, and Monologue. Speechify has assured users that the model improves with use, meaning the error rate is expected to decrease over time. Additionally, the new voice assistant, which resides in the sidebar of the browser, allows users to pose questions about the website content. Queries like "What are the three key ideas?" or "Can you simplify this?" can be addressed directly. While other platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini offer conversational modes, Speechify's approach emphasizes voice as the primary interaction method rather than an auxiliary feature. Rohan Pavuluri, the company's chief business officer, expressed confidence in their unique positioning, stating, "We recognize that many users prefer voice to be the default experience, and our tool is designed with that in mind." However, the assistant currently faces limitations, as it doesn't function with browsers that include built-in sidebar assistants like OpenAI’s Atlas. Despite this, Speechify remains focused on its primary market—Chrome users—and plans to extend both voice typing and the assistant features across all its applications, including desktop and mobile platforms. The startup also hints at future developments that could enable the assistant to perform tasks autonomously, such as scheduling appointments or handling customer service calls, similar to objectives pursued by companies like Truecaller and Cloacked.