SaaS Text-to-Speech Solution Enables Increased Accessibility as Need for Synthetic Voice Skyrockets

ReadSpeaker, the most trusted, independent digital voice partner for global businesses, announced that its solutions have enabled 1.4 trillion characters to be converted into speech in 2021, a massive milestone as the digital voice industry booms. Today, digital voice has become practically ubiquitous, with nearly one-third of all U.S. consumers owning at least one smart speaker and 71% reporting that they prefer to search using voice.

Despite a broad return to in-person learning in the fall of 2021, demand for online learning solutions with text-to-speech (TTS) capabilities grew as students of all abilities and needs recognized the benefits of online learning. In the fall of 2021, ReadSpeaker recorded a 43% increase in activations of the ReadSpeaker TTS service embedded within learning management systems, attributed largely to teachers and learners continuing to leverage e-learning resources while also returning to the classroom. In November 2021, ReadSpeaker announced a collaboration with PowerSchool, the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education, to integrate ReadSpeaker with PowerSchool’s Unified Classroom™ Schoology Learning. This collaboration brought accessibility tools directly to students, providing support for reading, writing and studying and addressing accommodations mandated in Individual Educational Plans (IEPs).

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“In 2021, we had the opportunity to work with organizations across industries to bring the power of voice to everyone, from students, to gamers, to the next generation of fighter pilots”

The gaming industry’s use of TTS exploded throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with more than 35% of the global population reporting that they play video games. In November 2021, ReadSpeaker released an SDK for Nintendo Switch Game Development, which enabled developers to embed a Deep Neural Network (DNN) TTS engine into Nintendo Switch games, allowing for easy implementation of a Voice User Interface (VUI) that performs text-to-speech in real time. In early 2022, ReadSpeaker doubled down on its commitment to bringing TTS to the gaming industry, unveiling the first-ever TTS multi-platform plugin for Unreal and Unity game engines. This plugin enables developers to add screen narration and audio description and give the power of speech to AI-based non-player characters and prototype character lines during development.

In addition to its work in the education and gaming industries, in 2021, ReadSpeaker also announced relationships with:

• Lockheed Martin, to provide TTS-enabled voice technology for the F-35 Lightning II jet training module, which offers classroom training to users across the globe
• Spotify Car Thing, to power the device’s custom voice
• sComm, to power the company’s UbiDuo devices and improve real-time communication capabilities between the hearing, deaf and hard-of-hearing communities

“In 2021, we had the opportunity to work with organizations across industries to bring the power of voice to everyone, from students, to gamers, to the next generation of fighter pilots,” said Matt Muldoon, President, ReadSpeaker North America. “Today, digital voice is everywhere, and companies that have not taken the leap to explore its myriad benefits are at risk of falling behind. From improving the accessibility of digital content so that any user can enjoy it, to simply providing consumers with a different way to consume content, digital voice – and TTS, more specifically – will power our future.”

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