Free voice AI on your own computer, with a catch
You can now talk with an AI without sending your voice to the cloud. Izwi 0.1.0 is a free desktop app for Mac, Linux and Windows. It does real-time voice chat fully on your computer: it hears you, thinks with a local model, and speaks back. It can also clone a voice from a short sample, or design a new voice from a text description.
Another project, Lure-TTS, makes small voice models that run 4 times faster than real time. Its author says training cost under $200.
This is great for privacy and for people with older computers. But voice cloning this cheap and easy also helps scammers who fake a family member's voice.
Local voice AI keeps your conversations private, which is good news. And still, agree on a family code word now: a cloned voice on the phone is easier to make than ever.
