Jack Dorsey's Block launches Dessa artificial intelligence tool for real-time speech

Block, Inc., the technology firm led by Jack Dorsey, launched a new artificial intelligence technology called Dessa on October 24. The Washington Examiner and GIGAZINE both report that the system is designed to engage in remarkably human-like voice conversations. [1][2]

According to the Washington Examiner, Dessa can speak and listen at the same time, pause, interrupt, and produce emotional responses such as laughter and crying. GIGAZINE reported that the system can be trained using only spoken audio without text inputs and can run locally on a MacBook Pro computer. [1][2]

Jack Patrick Dorsey co-founded Twitter, Inc. and serves as the leader of the financial technology company Block, Inc., which operates services including Square and Cash App. He previously served as the chief executive officer of Twitter from 2007 to 2008 and again from 2015 until 2021. [3][5]

The Washington Examiner noted that the launch of Dessa raises questions about artificial intelligence companies misleading users, calling for federal regulation of technologies that blur the line between humans and machines. [1]