Artificial voice startup Hume AI has had a busy Q4, introducing Voice Control, a no-code artificial speech interface that gives users control over 10 voice dimensions ranging from “assertiveness” to “buoyancy” and “nasality.” The company also debuted an interface that “creates emotionally intelligent voice interactions” with Anthropic’s foundation model Claude that has prompted one observer to ponder the possibility that keyboards will become a thing of the past when it comes to controlling computers. Both advances expand on Hume’s work with its own foundation model, Empathic Voice Interface 2 (EVI 2), which adds emotional timbre to AI voices.

Now in beta, Voice Control is “an experimental feature that empowers developers and users to create custom AI voices through precise modulation of vocal characteristics — no coding, AI prompt engineering, or sound design skills required,” writes VentureBeat, adding that the tool “allows users to fine-tune voice attributes in real time through virtual onscreen sliders.”

Creators struggling to find the perfect voice for their product or brand in a world of “recognizable, preset voices” from AI providers can now turn to Hume, the company explains in a blog post. And you don’t have to be a developer to use it. For those who sign up for a free Hume account, Voice Control is available to try in the company’s virtual playground.

Rounding out the 10 defined voice dimensions are “gender,” “confidence,” “enthusiasm,” “relaxedness,” “smoothness,” “tepidity” and “tightness.”

As scientists working at the intersection of emotion science and AI, Hume discovered that “people’s perceptions of voices are far more granular than they can articulate in words.” The slider-based approach — as opposed to the usual text or voice prompts — was a response to the desire to free users from “the bottleneck of language.”

“Nuanced, ineffable voice characteristics are not just highly recognizable to humans, but extremely psychologically salient,” Hume points out.

Hume AI was launched in 2021 by Alan Cowen, a former Google AI researcher who is now CEO and chief scientist at Hume. The company is named for the 18th century Scottish philosopher David Hume, who “argues that emotions drive choice and well-being,” according to Hume.ai.

Hume’s Claude interface, disclosed in a November blog post, prompted Tom’s Guide to ask “Who needs a keyboard? Hume just made it possible to control a computer with your voice.”

Hume AI translates voice to text for Claude, then spins the AI’s responses back to voice for users. Along with OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode and its open-source Whisper tech, it all points to “a ‘voice-first’ future” where “‘Star Trek’ meets ‘The Jetsons,’” Tom’s says.