At the Web Summit in Doha, ElevenLabs co‑founder and chief executive Mati Staniszewski warned that voice is poised to become the primary interface through which humans engage with artificial intelligence. Speaking to an audience of technologists, investors and industry leaders, Staniszewski argued that the rapid rollout of conversational AI by giants such as OpenAI, Google and Apple is accelerating a shift from text‑based interaction to spoken dialogue across wearables, smart devices and everyday environments.
Voice as the Dominant Interaction Layer
Staniszewski highlighted the growing ubiquity of voice‑enabled hardware – from smart earbuds and watches to in‑car assistants – and noted that developers are already designing applications that respond to natural language in real time. “When you can ask a device to do something as easily as you would ask a person, the friction disappears,” he said, adding that voice offers a more inclusive and hands‑free experience, especially in contexts where typing is impractical.
Competitive Landscape
The ElevenLabs chief placed the company’s ambitions alongside the broader industry push. OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Whisper models, Google’s Gemini suite, and Apple’s Siri enhancements are all being integrated into hardware ecosystems, signaling a concerted effort to make conversational AI a default feature of consumer tech. Staniszewski cautioned that the race is not merely about accuracy but also about latency, personalization and the ability to generate lifelike speech that can adapt to diverse accents and emotional tones.
ElevenLabs’ Speed‑to‑Market Edge
During a follow‑up interview with Web Summit host Jennifer Li, Staniszewski explained how ElevenLabs translates research‑grade breakthroughs into production‑ready services at “lightning speed.” The company leverages a modular architecture that allows rapid iteration, continuous model training on proprietary voice datasets, and a cloud‑native deployment pipeline that scales globally. This agility, he argued, positions ElevenLabs to supply developers with high‑fidelity, low‑latency voice synthesis that can be embedded in a wide range of applications, from virtual assistants to immersive media.
Implications for the Future
If voice indeed becomes the default AI interface, the stakes for privacy, data security and ethical use will rise sharply. Staniszewski called for industry standards that protect user consent while fostering innovation. “The promise of voice is enormous, but we must build it responsibly,” he concluded.
Looking Ahead
ElevenLabs plans to expand its API offerings, introduce multilingual capabilities and deepen partnerships with hardware manufacturers. As the AI ecosystem converges on spoken interaction, the company aims to cement its role as a leading provider of realistic, adaptable synthetic speech.
