Jack Dorsey's new voice AI is impressing users and alarming fraud watchers
Summary
Block introduced Dessa, a research-preview voice AI trained directly on human speech. It can listen and speak simultaneously, handle interruptions and produce expressive, natural-sounding conversations. Block says it was trained on one Nvidia GB200 NVL72 system and can run locally on a sufficiently equipped MacBook Pro. The model is not publicly available; a small group of AI safety researchers will receive early access. Demonstrations drew praise for its realism and interest in educational uses, alongside concerns that humanlike voices could enable scams and deception. Block has not disclosed the model’s size, benchmarks or release date, and its capabilities have not been independently tested.
