Dessa

Dessa

Block
Modulate Velma

Modulate Velma

Modulate
+
+

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About

Dessa is Block's speech-to-speech artificial intelligence model for conversational voice research and applications. It takes audio input and produces audio output directly, without converting speech into text as an intermediate step. Trained from scratch on human conversation rather than text, the model supports full-duplex interaction, listening and speaking at the same time, and runs locally on a MacBook Pro with an M4 Max chip or better. It captures conversational cues such as emotion, sarcasm, laughter, pauses, and turn-taking that can be lost in text-based pipelines. Dessa is intended for AI safety researchers and developers studying voice-model behavior, privacy, and real-time interaction. It is a speech model for research and development, not a general-purpose business application or hosted voice-agent platform.

About

Velma is a voice-native AI model developed by Modulate as part of a broader voice intelligence platform, designed to understand conversations directly from audio rather than relying on text transcripts. Unlike traditional systems that convert speech into text and analyze it with language models, Velma uses an Ensemble Listening Model (ELM), a specialized architecture that processes multiple dimensions of voice simultaneously, including tone, emotion, pacing, intent, and behavioral signals. This allows it to capture the full meaning of a conversation, not just the words spoken, recognizing nuances such as stress, deception, sarcasm, or escalation in real time. It operates by combining hundreds of specialized detectors, each focused on specific aspects of speech like emotional state, inappropriate conduct, or synthetic voice indicators, and then fusing those signals into higher-level insights about what is happening in a conversation.

Platforms Supported

Windows Not Supported
Mac Supported
Linux Not Supported
Cloud Not Supported
On-Premises Not Supported
iPhone Not Supported
iPad Not Supported
Android Not Supported
Chromebook Not Supported

Platforms Supported

Windows Not Supported
Mac Not Supported
Linux Not Supported
Cloud Supported
On-Premises Not Supported
iPhone Not Supported
iPad Not Supported
Android Not Supported
Chromebook Not Supported

Audience

AI safety researchers and developers evaluating or building speech-based conversational AI.

Audience

Enterprise operations and trust & safety teams that need real-time voice intelligence to monitor conversations, detect risk, and enforce compliance across human and AI interactions

Support

Phone Support Not Supported
24/7 Live Support Not Supported
Online Not Supported

Support

Phone Support Not Supported
24/7 Live Support Not Supported
Online Supported

API

Offers API Not Supported

API

Offers API Supported

Screenshots and Videos

Screenshots and Videos

Pricing

No information available.
Free Version Not Supported
Free Trial Not Supported

Pricing

$0.25 per hour
Free Version Not Supported
Free Trial Supported

Reviews/Ratings

Overall 0.0 / 5
ease 0.0 / 5
features 0.0 / 5
design 0.0 / 5
support 0.0 / 5

This software hasn't been reviewed yet. Be the first to provide a review:

Review this Software

Reviews/Ratings

Overall 0.0 / 5
ease 0.0 / 5
features 0.0 / 5
design 0.0 / 5
support 0.0 / 5

This software hasn't been reviewed yet. Be the first to provide a review:

Review this Software

Training

Documentation Not Supported
Webinars Not Supported
Live Online Not Supported
In Person Not Supported

Training

Documentation Supported
Webinars Not Supported
Live Online Supported
In Person Not Supported

Company Information

Block
Founded: 2009
United States
block.xyz/dessa

Company Information

Modulate
Founded: 2019
United States
www.modulate.ai/velma

Alternatives

Alternatives

Raven-1

Raven-1

Tavus
Grok Voice 3.0

Grok Voice 3.0

SpaceXSI
Eleven Realtime

Eleven Realtime

ElevenLabs

Categories

AI Voice Models Supported

Categories

AI Models Supported
AI Voice Agents Supported

Integrations

Five9 Not Supported
GENESYS Not Supported
Microsoft Teams Not Supported
Slack Not Supported
Zendesk Not Supported
Zoom Not Supported

Integrations

Five9 Supported
GENESYS Supported
Microsoft Teams Supported
Slack Supported
Zendesk Supported
Zoom Supported
Claim Dessa and update features and information
Claim Dessa and update features and information
Claim Modulate Velma and update features and information
Claim Modulate Velma and update features and information