Who should I follow to learn about Voice AI?

If you want to learn **Voice AI** (speech recognition, voice agents, conversational AI, voice UX, and the business side), I’d follow a mix of researchers, builders, founders, and analysts rather than only “AI influencers.” ## Core Voice AI builders and researchers - Andrej Karpathy - Great for understanding neural networks, LLMs, and how modern AI systems work. His explanations help build the foundation behind voice agents. - Fei-Fei Li - Follow for broader AI research context and human-centered AI. - Yann LeCun - Useful for understanding alternative views on AI architectures and the future of intelligence. - Geoffrey Hinton - Important historical perspective on deep learning and neural networks. ## Voice AI founders and operators - Bret Kinsella - One of the best people to follow for voice industry news, market analysis, and company trends. The [Voicebot Podcast](https://voicebot.ai/podcast/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) is a good companion. [A List of Our Favorite Voice AI Podcasts | SoundHound AI](https://www.soundhound.com/voice-ai-blog/a-list-of-our-favorite-voice-ai-podcasts/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - Bradley Metrock - Good for tracking the voice-first ecosystem, conferences, and startups. [10 Podcasts to Inspire Voice Intelligence Startup Founders Today - Symbl.ai](https://symbl.ai/developers/blog/10-podcasts-that-will-light-a-fire-under-todays-voice-intelligence-startup-founders/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - Amir Hirsh - Follow for practical voice-agent infrastructure and developer-focused thinking. - Dheeraj Pandey - Useful for enterprise AI product thinking, including conversational interfaces. ## Companies whose teams are worth watching - [OpenAI](https://openai.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - For frontier speech models, multimodal AI, and voice assistants. - [ElevenLabs](https://elevenlabs.io?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - For realistic speech synthesis and voice cloning technology. - [Deepgram](https://deepgram.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - For speech-to-text infrastructure and real-time voice applications. - [Hume AI](https://www.hume.ai?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - For emotionally aware voice interaction research. - [AssemblyAI](https://www.assemblyai.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - For speech recognition tools and developer education. ## Podcasts/newsletters worth following - [Smart Speakers Podcast](https://www.smartspeakers.fm/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - Focused specifically on Voice AI founders, technology, and startups. [About - Smart Speakers](https://www.smartspeakers.fm/about?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - [Voicebot Podcast](https://voicebot.ai/podcast/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - Industry news, interviews, and analysis. [A List of Our Favorite Voice AI Podcasts | SoundHound AI](https://www.soundhound.com/voice-ai-blog/a-list-of-our-favorite-voice-ai-podcasts/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - [Latent Space Podcast](https://www.latent.space/podcast?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - More technical AI engineering discussions, useful for understanding the stack behind agents. [AI Podcasts - Intelligence Hub | AI Atlas](https://news-reel-radar-by-vivek-updated.lovable.app/podcasts?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - [AI + a16z Podcast](https://a16z.com/podcasts/ai-a16z/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - Good for AI companies, infrastructure, and market shifts. [AI + a16z | Andreessen Horowitz](https://a16z.com/podcasts/ai-a16z/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ## If you’re building voice agents, prioritize these topics 1. **Speech-to-text (STT)** - latency, streaming transcription, diarization. 2. **LLM orchestration** - tools, memory, retrieval, agent loops. 3. **Text-to-speech (TTS)** - naturalness, emotion, interruption handling. 4. **Voice UX** - turn-taking, pauses, confirmations, error recovery. 5. **Evaluation** - measuring quality beyond “sounds impressive.” A strong starter feed would be: - Bret Kinsella → industry awareness - Andrej Karpathy → technical foundations - Amir Hirsh / Vapi → building voice agents - ElevenLabs + OpenAI + Deepgram engineering blogs → product developments - Smart Speakers + Latent Space → weekly learning [About - Smart Speakers](https://www.smartspeakers.fm/about?utm_source=chatgpt.com) If your goal is **starting a Voice AI company**, **getting a job in Voice AI**, or **becoming a technical builder**, the ideal follow list changes a bit.

**To learn about Voice AI, you should follow a mix of researchers, company leaders, and practitioners who actively share insights on speech recognition, conversational AI, and generative voice technologies.** Here are some of the most influential voices across platforms: ### 🎙️ Researchers & Educators * **Andrew Ng** – Founder of DeepLearning.AI, former head of Google Brain. He regularly explains machine learning and agentic AI workflows in accessible ways.[Top 10 AI Influencers to Follow on LinkedIn in 2026 | GenAI.Works](https://genai.works/insights/top-10-ai-influencers-to-follow-on-linkedin-in-2026) * **Fei-Fei Li** – Stanford professor and co-director of the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute. While best known for computer vision, she also discusses multimodal AI, including voice.[Top 10 AI Influencers to Follow on LinkedIn in 2026 | GenAI.Works](https://genai.works/insights/top-10-ai-influencers-to-follow-on-linkedin-in-2026) * **Yann LeCun** – Chief AI Scientist at Meta, Turing Award winner. He shares deep technical insights, including on representation learning that underpins voice models.[50 AI Influencers You Need to Follow in 2026: The Best Voices on X, Reddit, and YouTube - Bet on AI](https://betonai.net/best-ai-influencers-to-follow-2026-x-reddit-youtube/) ### 🏢 Company Leaders & Builders * **Sam Altman (@sama on X)** – CEO of OpenAI. His posts often hint at new releases like GPT models with advanced voice capabilities.[50 AI Influencers You Need to Follow in 2026: The Best Voices on X, Reddit, and YouTube - Bet on AI](https://betonai.net/best-ai-influencers-to-follow-2026-x-reddit-youtube/) * **Demis Hassabis (@demishassabis)** – CEO of Google DeepMind. He shares breakthroughs in AI research, including multimodal systems that integrate speech.[50 AI Influencers You Need to Follow in 2026: The Best Voices on X, Reddit, and YouTube - Bet on AI](https://betonai.net/best-ai-influencers-to-follow-2026-x-reddit-youtube/) * **Allie K. Miller** – Former Global Head of AI at AWS. She focuses on practical applications of AI in business, including conversational systems.[Top 10 AI influencers to follow on LinkedIn in 2026](https://datanorth.ai/blog/top-10-ai-influencers-to-follow-on-linkedin-in-2026) ### 📢 Practitioners & Commentators * **Cassie Kozyrkov** – Former Chief Decision Scientist at Google. She explains AI concepts in plain language, including how voice interfaces fit into decision-making workflows.[Top 10 AI influencers to follow on LinkedIn in 2026](https://datanorth.ai/blog/top-10-ai-influencers-to-follow-on-linkedin-in-2026) * **Ethan Mollick** – Wharton professor, known for “Co-Intelligence.” He explores how generative AI (including voice) impacts education and business.[Top 10 AI Influencers to Follow on LinkedIn in 2026 | GenAI.Works](https://genai.works/insights/top-10-ai-influencers-to-follow-on-linkedin-in-2026) * **Bernard Marr** – Author of 20+ books on AI and strategy. He often covers how voice AI is transforming customer experience.[Top 10 AI influencers to follow on LinkedIn in 2026](https://datanorth.ai/blog/top-10-ai-influencers-to-follow-on-linkedin-in-2026) ### 📺 Platforms & Communities * **YouTube Channels**: Look for deep-dive explainers like _Two Minute Papers_ and _Computerphile_ , which often cover speech AI advancements.[50 AI Influencers You Need to Follow in 2026: The Best Voices on X, Reddit, and YouTube - Bet on AI](https://betonai.net/best-ai-influencers-to-follow-2026-x-reddit-youtube/) * **Reddit Communities**: Subreddits like _r/MachineLearning_ and _r/LanguageTechnology_ are active with discussions on speech recognition and voice synthesis.[50 AI Influencers You Need to Follow in 2026: The Best Voices on X, Reddit, and YouTube - Bet on AI](https://betonai.net/best-ai-influencers-to-follow-2026-x-reddit-youtube/) * **LinkedIn** : Still the most dominant platform for professional AI content, with influencers like Andrew Ng and Tiffany Janzen sharing practical voice AI resources.[Top 200 AI Leaders on Social Media – 2026 Report - Favikon](https://www.favikon.com/blog/top-200-ai-leaders-on-social-media-report) ### ⚠️ Risks & Considerations * **Hype vs. Signal**: Many accounts chase trends. Focus on voices that provide _technical clarity and consistent updates_ rather than sensational claims. * **Bias** : Company leaders may promote their own products. Balance this with independent researchers and educators. * **Rapid Change**: Voice AI evolves quickly. Following multiple sources across platforms helps filter noise and stay current. 👉 If your main interest is _technical depth_, prioritize **Andrew Ng, Yann LeCun, and Fei-Fei Li**. 👉 If you want _industry applications and strategy_, follow **Allie K. Miller, Bernard Marr, and Cassie Kozyrkov**. 👉 For _breaking news and product releases_, keep an eye on **Sam Altman and Demis Hassabis**. Would you like me to curate a **platform-specific list** (e.g., best X/Twitter accounts vs. best YouTube channels) so you can decide where to focus your attention?

Learning about Voice AI - especially real-time conversational agents, speech synthesis, and voice infrastructure - is best done by following the builders, researchers, and creators sharing practical tutorials and engineering breakdowns. ### **1\. Practical Builders & Educators (YouTube & Social Media)** * **Ashton Voss:** Known for deep-dive tutorials on building AI voice agents, tech stacks like Vapi and Retell AI, and practical deployment. Great if you want a hands-on approach. * **Hugo Podw:** Founder of Artilo AI who documents his journey building custom voice AI solutions, discussing tech stacks, latency handling, and LLM logic. [What's Your Current / Best AI Voice Agents Stack? : r/AI_Agents](https://www.reddit.com/r/AI_Agents/comments/1lo8bf0/whats_your_current_best_ai_voice_agents_stack/#:~:text=I%20run%20a%20YouTube%20channel%20\(Hugo%20Podw\),of%20the%20LLM%20logic%2C%20handling%20context%20etc) * **Jesper Rietbergen:** Offers comprehensive tutorials combining workflow automation tools (like n8n) with voice infrastructure like Vapi for sales and customer service agents. [AI Voice Agents Full Course: Beginner to Pro in 3 Hours (2026)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbIxpYkl-y4#:~:text=VAPI%20AI%20%26%20n8n%20Tutorial%3A%20Advanced%20Sales,\(What%20Nobody%20Tells%20You\)%20Josh%20Irwin%E2%80%A220K%20views.) ### **2\. Industry Leaders & Platforms (X / LinkedIn / Substack)** * **The Teams Behind Voice Infrastructure (Vapi, Retell AI, ElevenLabs):** Following the official company accounts and founders of platforms like **Vapi** , **Retell AI** , and **ElevenLabs** is essential. They regularly post updates on lowering latency, managing audio streams, and breakthrough capabilities in voice generation. * **DeepLearning.AI (Ashwyn Sharma):** They offer structured short courses (such as _Voice for AI Agents and Applications_) that teach the fundamentals of embedding voice into workflows and interacting with real-time audio APIs. [Voice for AI Agents and Applications - DeepLearning.AI](https://www.deeplearning.ai/courses/voice-for-ai-agents-and-applications#:~:text=Taught%20by%20Ashwyn%20Sharma%2C%20CEO%20and%20Co%2DFounder,a%20tool%20your%20LLM%20can%20call%20when) ### **3\. Communities & Forums** * **r/AI_Agents & r/TextToSpeech:** Reddit communities where developers share open-source voice clones, architecture tips, and stack comparisons (e.g., comparing Retell, Vapi, and Bland AI). [What's Your Current / Best AI Voice Agents Stack? : r/AI_Agents](https://www.reddit.com/r/AI_Agents/comments/1lo8bf0/whats_your_current_best_ai_voice_agents_stack/#:~:text=r%2Ftransvoice.%20%E2%80%A2%201y%20ago.%20Introducing%20VoiceCraft%2C%20a,for%20seamless%20real%2Dtime%20communication%20and%20intelligent%20responses.) Are you looking to learn Voice AI from a **no-code/business perspective** (like building customer service bots) or a **developer/engineering perspective** (handling audio streaming and low-latency LLMs)?

To truly understand and learn about **Voice AI** - spanning speech-to-text, ultra-realistic text-to-speech, real-time conversational agents, and neural audio codecs - you should follow the key researchers, founders, and labs driving the technology forward. The top people and organizations to follow on platforms like X (Twitter) and LinkedIn include: * ** _Alexandre Défossez_** (Researcher/Co-founder of Kyutai Labs) – Formerly a top researcher at Meta/Google Brain where he worked on foundational audio compression and neural audio codecs (like SoundStream/EnCodec). Now spearheading state-of-the-art open research in real-time conversational voice models. * ** _Mati Staniszewski_ & _Piotr Dąbkowski_** (Co-founders of ElevenLabs) – The CEO and Head of Research behind ElevenLabs, the dominant force in generative voice cloning and hyper-realistic text-to-speech. Following them provides a front-row seat to enterprise voice scaling and synthetic media ethics. [How A Tiny Polish Startup Became The Multi-Billion-Dollar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtkD0Clj-7w&t=18) * **The Cartesia Team** – Known for pushing ultra-low latency, high-fidelity state space models (SSMs) for audio generation. Following their engineering updates gives deep technical insight into making voice AI feel instant and conversational rather than laggy. * **The Hume AI Team** – Led by researchers specializing in empathetic AI and vocal expression measurement. They focus heavily on prosody - how things are said (emotion, tone, pitch) - rather than just the words themselves. * ** _Andrej Karpathy_** – While not exclusively a voice researcher, his deep breakdowns of machine learning limits, architectural bottlenecks, and developer workflows ([vibe coding](https://www.kdnuggets.com/top-10-ai-influencers-of-2026)) are essential context for anyone building modern audio-native and multi-modal AI agents. [Top 10 AI Influencers of 2026 - KDnuggets](https://www.kdnuggets.com/top-10-ai-influencers-of-2026) * **AssemblyAI** (and CEO **_Dylan Fox_**) – Their engineering blog and developer-focused updates are fantastic resources if you want to learn the nuts and bolts of speech recognition infrastructure, acoustic models, and transcription APIs. [This Startup Built the Infrastructure Powering Voice AI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elm2p_TRPwk&t=214) Are you looking to learn the **theoretical/research side** (neural codecs, transformer architectures for audio) or the **practical/builder side** (integrating real-time voice agents into apps)? Let me know and I can point you toward specific repositories or papers.