Dessa by Block: Exploring a New Direction for Conversational AI

Introduction Voice interfaces have become a familiar part of modern technology, but many still feel different from speaking with another person. They may wait for a user to finish, pause while processing a request, or miss meaning carried by tone and timing. Block's Dessa project explores another direction: an AI model designed to listen to and generate speech directly. Dessa is an experimental speech-to-speech system associated with Block and Jack Dorsey. The project focuses on conversational audio rather than treating written text as the central representation of every exchange. Its aim is t…