Underdog 展示仅 32MB 的语音模型 Woof 新演示
Underdog shows off a 32MB speech model in new demo
创业公司 Underdog 在新演示中展示其 32MB 语音模型 Woof：一款复古主题浏览器游戏，可离线在大部分设备上运行，模型共 31 million 参数，已开放下载。该演示支持打字机语音回读和旋转调谐器生成音乐等功能。此前 Underdog 还推出了 167MB 的语音转文字模型 Bark，并发布过一个 27-billion-parameter 模型。
AI companies across the world are racing to make bigger and better models, but the problem is all of them need massive amounts of processing power. On the other end, some researchers and startups are creating smaller models that can run on edge devices, like your phone or computer.
One such startup, Underdog, has released a game built with its new voice model called Woof that’s only 32MB large.
The game features a room with a retro tech theme, a typewriter, and a CRT monitor. There is a desk lamp, which makes a sound when you click its switch. The intro warns users about “intrusive” cloud providers in the town — ostensibly a jab at cloud-based models.
You can interact with the typewriter and music tuner.
You can type anything on the typewriter using your keyboard, and the game will speak it back. You can also rotate the tuner to generate different kinds of music.
All of this works within the browser through Underdog’s speech generation model, which, the company says, can run on most devices without any internet connection. The model has 31 million parameters and is open for everyone to download.
While such a small model likely won’t replace bigger models, it may still be enough to drive local assistant experiences or create personalized podcasts.
This demo comes weeks after Underdog launched Bark, a 167 MB speech-to-text model also designed to run on edge devices for transcription and dictation.
Sigil Wen, the founder of Underdog, told TechCrunch that he started building the app because, instead of using notetakers like Granola, he wanted to build his own system with AI models that can run on users’ devices and let them own their data.
“I think we will be able to run most capable models of today on the devices you already own within months. We just want to train the best open models that are American-made, that are open, that are capable and allow people to have private AI,” he said, referring to his manifesto.
In addition to the two voice models mentioned above, Underdog has also released a 27-billion-parameter model that can run on laptops, along with a waitlisted app that the company is positioning as a locally-hosted alternative to Muse and Instinct.
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Ivan covers global consumer tech developments at TechCrunch. He is based out of India and has previously worked at publications including Huffington Post and The Next Web.
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