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Can you hear me now? AI acoustics to combat noisy sound with generative artificial intelligence

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Noisy recordings of interviews and speeches are the nightmare of sound engineers. But one German startup hopes to solve this problem with a singular technical approach that uses generative artificial intelligence to improve the clarity of voices in video.

Today, AI acoustics got here out of hiding thanks to financing of 1.9 million euros. According to co-founder and CEO Fabian Seipel, AI-coustics technology goes beyond standard noise cancellation and works with any device and speaker.

“Our core mission is to ensure that every digital interaction, whether on a conference call, a consumer device, or a regular video on social media, is as clear as a professional studio broadcast,” Seipel told TechCrunch in an interview.

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Seipel, an audio engineer by training, founded AI-coustics in 2021 together with Corvin Jaedicke, a lecturer in machine learning on the Technical University of Berlin. Seipel and Jaedicke met while studying audio technology at TU Berlin, where they often encountered poor sound quality in the net courses and tutorials that they had to take.

“We are driven by a personal mission to address the pervasive challenge of poor audio quality in digital communications,” said Seipel. “Although my hearing is somewhat impaired by music production in my early 20s, I have always struggled with online content and lectures, which led us to work primarily on speech quality and speech intelligibility.”

The marketplace for software that uses artificial intelligence to suppress noise and improve voice is already very strong. AI-coustics’ rivals include Insoundz, which uses generative artificial intelligence to enhance streamed and pre-recorded speech clips, and Veed.io, a video editing suite with tools to remove background noise from clips.

But Seipel says AI has a singular approach to developing AI mechanisms that truly reduce noise.

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The startup uses a model trained on speech samples recorded on the startup’s studio in Berlin, AI-coustics’ hometown. People are paid to record samples – Seipel didn’t say what number of – that are then added to the info set to train an artificial intelligence noise reduction model.

“We have developed a unique approach to simulating audio artifacts and issues – e.g. noise, reverberation, compression, band-limited microphones, distortion, clipping, etc. – during the training process,” Seipel said.

I bet some people won’t mind AI-coustics’ one-time compensation system for creators, provided that the model the startup is training could prove quite lucrative in the long term. (There is a healthy debate about whether the creators of coaching data for AI models deserve to be compensated for his or her contributions.) But perhaps the larger and more immediate problem is bias.

It is well-known that speech recognition algorithms may cause errors – errors that ultimately harm users. AND test published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that speech recognition from leading firms was twice as likely to incorrectly transcribe audio from Black speakers than from white speakers.

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To combat this, Seipel says the AI ​​focuses on recruiting “diverse” contributors to speech samples. He added: “Size and diversity are key to eliminating bias and ensuring the technology works across languages, speaker identities, ages, accents and genders.”

It wasn’t essentially the most scientific test, but I submitted three video clips – and interview with a farmer from the 18th centuryAND automotive driving demonstration and Protest in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — to the AI-coustics platform to see how well it handles each of them. AI has indeed delivered on its promise to increase transparency; to my ears, the processed clips had significantly less ambient noise drowning out the speakers.

Here’s an earlier clip of a farmer from the 18th century:


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And after:

Seipel sees AI-coustics technology getting used to enhance real-time and recorded speech, and maybe even being built into devices resembling soundbars, smartphones and headphones to routinely increase voice clarity. Currently, AI-coustics offers an online application and API for audio and video post-processing, in addition to an SDK that permits the AI-coustics platform to be integrated with existing workflows, applications and hardware.

Seipel says the AI ​​– which makes money through a mix of subscriptions, on-demand pricing and licensing – currently has five enterprise customers and 20,000 users (though not all of them are paying). The plan for the subsequent few months includes expanding the corporate’s four-person team and refining its basic speech amplification model.

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“Prior to our initial investment, Coustics AI was operating quite leanly and at a low burn rate to weather the headwinds in the VC investment market,” Seipel said. “AI-coustics now has a significant network of investors and mentors in Germany and the UK who provide advice. A strong technology base and the ability to serve different markets with the same database and core technology gives the company flexibility and the ability to change less.”

When asked whether audio mastering technologies resembling AI acoustics could steal jobs what some experts fearSeipel saw the potential of artificial intelligence to speed up time-consuming tasks that currently fall on audio engineers.

“A content creation studio or broadcast manager can save time and money by automating parts of the audio production process using artificial intelligence while maintaining the highest speech quality,” he said. “Speech quality and intelligibility continues to be a vexing issue for nearly every consumer or skilled device, in addition to when creating and consuming content. Any application that records, processes or transmits speech can potentially profit from our technology.

The financing got here in the shape of an equity and debt tranche from Connect Ventures, Inovia Capital, FOV Ventures and Ableton CFO Jan Bohl.

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This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com

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Lime scooter and Ebike batteries will be recycled by Redwood Materials

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The joint company Micromobility Lime has reached an agreement on sending batteries utilized in scooters and electronic bikes to Sewoi materials that extract and recycle critical minerals, comparable to lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper.

The agreement announced on Monday makes Redwood Materials the only real battery recycling partner for common scooters and e-bike bikes situated in cities within the United States, Germany and the Netherlands. The contract doesn’t cover every region where lime worksAn inventory covering cities throughout Europe, Asia and Australia.

In Lime up to now he had other recycling partnerships, especially with Sprout through his suppliers. However, for the primary time, the joint company Micromobility had direct relations with battery recycling in North America, which might directly process the fabric for recovery and returns it to the availability chain.

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Redwood Materials, The Carson City, Startup from Nevada founded by the previous CFO Tesla JB Straubel, will get better battery materials when they can’t be used. After recovering and recycling, the materials will be re -introduced within the battery production process. This production system of a closed loop-which can reduce the demand for extraction and refining of minerals-is on the Redwood Materials business center.

The effort can also be consistent with its own goals of limestone sustainable development. Lime is geared toward decarbonization of operations by 2030. The company has made progress in reducing the range 1, 2 and 3 of emissions by 59.5% in five years of basic years 2019. Wapno plans to report the outcomes of carbon dioxide emissions 2024 in May.

“This cooperation means significant progress in the establishment of a more round supply chain, helping our batteries not only to recycled responsibly after reaching the end of their lives, but that their materials are returned to the battery supply chain,” said Andrew Savage, vice chairman for balanced development in Lime.

Lime also has partnerships from Gomi in Great Britain and Voltr in France and other European countries to gather these live battery cells for “Second Life” applications, including, amongst others, in the sphere of consumer electronics, comparable to portable speakers and battery packages.

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Redwood Materials has contracts with other micromobility corporations, including Lyft, RAD Power Bikes and bicycle batteries and scooters specialized in recycling. Redwood, which collected over $ 2 billion in private funds, announced at first of this month, opened the research and development center in San Francisco.

(Tagstranslat) ebikes

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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The Legal Defense Fund withdraws from the META civil law advisory group over Dei Rolback

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Legal Defense Fund,, Meta, dei,


On April 11, the Legal Defense Fund announced that he was leaving the external advisory council for civil rights regarding the fear that the changes in technology company introduced diversity, own capital, inclusion and availability in January.

According to those changes that some perceived as the capitulation of meta against the upcoming Trump administration, contributed to their decision To leave the advisory council of the technology company.

In January, LDF, along with several other organizations of civil rights, which were a part of the board, sent a letter to Marek Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, outlining their fears As for a way changes would negatively affect users.

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“We are shocked and disappointed that the finish has not consulted with this group or its members, considering these significant changes in its content policy. Non -compliance with even its own advisory group of experts on external civil rights shows a cynical disregard for its diverse users base and undermines the commitment of the meta in the field of freedom of speech with which he claims to” return “.

They closed the letter, hoping that the finish would recommend the ideals of freedom of speech: “If the finish really wants to recommend freedom of speech, he must commit to freedom of speech for all his services. As an advisory group from external civil rights, we offer our advice and knowledge in creating a better path.”

These fears increased only in the next months, culminating in one other list, which from the LDF director, Todd A. Cox, who indicated that the organization withdraws its membership from the META civil law advisory council.

“I am deeply disturbed and disappointed with the announcement of Medical on January 7, 2025, with irresponsible changes in content moderation policies on platforms, which are a serious risk for the health and safety of black communities and risk that they destabilize our republic,” Cox wrote.

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He continued: “For almost a decade, the NACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) has invested a lot of time and resources, working with META as part of the informal committee advising the company in matters of civil rights. However, the finish introduced these changes in the policy of the content modification without consulting this group, and many changes directly with the guidelines from the guidelines from LDF and partners. LD can no longer participate in the scope. ” Advisory Committee for Rights “

In a separate but related LDF list, it clearly resembled a finish about the actual obligations of the Citizens’ Rights Act of 1964 and other provisions regarding discrimination in the workplace, versus the false statements of the Trump administration, that diversity, justice and initiative to incorporate discriminates against white Americans.

“While the finish has modified its policy, its obligations arising from federal regulations regarding civil rights remain unchanged. The title of VII of the Act on civic rights of 1964 and other regulations on civil rights prohibit discrimination in the workplace, including disconnecting treatment, principles in the workplace which have unfair disproportionate effects, and the hostile work environment. Also when it comes to inclusion, and access programs.

In the LDF press release, announcing each letters, Cox He called attention Metal insert into growing violence and division in the country’s social climate.

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“LDF worked hard and in good faith with meta leadership and its consulting group for civil rights to ensure that the company’s workforce reflects the values ​​and racial warehouses of the United States and to increase the security priorities of many different communities that use meta platforms,” ​​said Cox. “Now we cannot support a company in good conscience that consciously takes steps in order to introduce changes in politics that supply further division and violence in the United States. We call the meta to reverse the course with these dangerous changes.”

(Tagstranslate) TODD A. COX (T) Legal Defense Fund (T) META (T) Diversity (T) Equality (T) inclusion

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Students of young, talented and black yale collect $ 3 million on a new application

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Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow, juniors from Yale University, collected $ 3 million in only 14 days to finance their startup, series, social application powered by AI, designed to support significant connections and challenge platforms, similar to LinkedIn and Instagram.

A duo that’s a co -host of the podcast A series of foundersHe created the application after recognizing the gap in the way in which digital platforms help people connect. SEries focuses moderately on facilitating authentic introductions than gathering likes, observing or involvement indicators.

“Social media is great for broadcasting, but it does not necessarily help you meet the right people at the right time,” said Johnson in an interview with Entrepreneur warehouse.

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The series connects users through AI “friends” who communicate via IMessage and help to introduce. Users introduce specific needs-are on the lookout for co-founders, mentors, colleagues or investors-AI makes it easier to introduce based on mutual value. The concept attracts comparisons to LinkedIn, but with more personal experience.

“You publish photos on Instagram, publish movies on Tiktok and publish work posts on LinkedIn … And that’s where you have this microinfluuncer band,” Johnson added.

The application goals to avoid the superficial character of typical social platforms. Hargrow emphasized that although aesthetics often dominates on Instagram and the content virus drives tabktok, Number It is intentional, deliberate contacts.

“We are not trying to replace relationships in the real world-we are going to make it easier for people to find the right relationships,” said Hargrow.

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Parable projects carried out before the seeded (*3*)Funding roundwhich included participation with Pear VC, DGB, VC, forty seventh Street, Radicle Impact, UNCASMON Projects and several famous Angels Investors, including the General Director of Reddit Steve Huffman and the founder of GPTZERO Edward Tian. Johnson called one meeting of investors “dinner for a million dollars”, reflecting how their pitch resonated with early supporters.

Although not the principal corporations, Johnson and Hargrow based pre-coreneuring through their podcast, through which they interviews the founders and leaders of C-Suite about less known elements of constructing the company-as accounting, business law and team formation.

Since the beginning of the series, over 32,000 messages between “friends” have been mentioned within the test phases. The initial goal of the application is the entrepreneurs market. Despite this, the founders hope to develop in finance, dating, education and health – ultimately striving to construct probably the most available warm network on the earth.

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(Tagstranslate) VC (T) Yale (T) Venture Capital (T) Technology (T) APP

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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