An independent guide to Block's voice model
Dessa AI. Beyond the words.
A laugh. A pause. A change in tone. Meet Block's speech-to-speech research model, trained on human conversation — and explore what it can actually do today.
Research preview · Public access not confirmed
- Developed by
- Block
- Input → output
- Speech → speech
- Conversation
- Full duplex
- Current stage
- Research preview
Get to know Dessa AI
More than what you say. How you say it.
Block is exploring what a model can learn from the sound of human conversation. Here is the idea behind the research, and where the evidence ends.
Learning from conversation
Block says Dessa was trained from scratch on human speech, without text or pretrained models. That is a training claim, not an independently audited result.
Listening while speaking
Full duplex means listening and speaking can overlap. The demos explore interruptions, short acknowledgments and conversational timing.
A voice with expression
Block highlights laughter, pauses and changes in tone in its selected recordings. Sounding expressive does not establish emotional understanding or reliability.
Why is Dessa AI getting attention now?
Dessa AI was introduced in a research-team post on October 23, 2026 at 16:38 UTC, followed by Jack Dorsey's post and an invitation to safety researchers. The speech-only training claim and expressive recordings explain what people are discussing. These dated events establish the research launch; they do not establish broad public access or measure how popular the model is.
Read the research announcementThe story behind Dessa AI
A company name, an earlier speech project and a new conversation model are connected by people, not a proven shared architecture. Dates below identify announcements, not permission to use the new model.
RealTalk: speech from text
The original Dessa company introduced RealTalk as text-to-speech research. That project is separate from the new model's speech-conversation task.
Original RealTalk introductionSquare acquires the company
Square announced its acquisition of the Toronto machine-learning company Dessa. This is company history, not a model release date.
Square acquisition announcementSquare announces the Block name
The company announced its new Block name while retaining Square for its seller business. This explains the two publisher names in the history.
Company name announcementDessa AI research announcement
The team introduced the new full-duplex speech model at 16:38 UTC. Block says the lab includes former Dessa members; it has not documented the new model as a rename of RealTalk.
Research team’s original post
Find your next step
Your questions. Clearly answered.
Start with what you want to do. Each guide focuses on one decision, with original sources and the limits made clear.
Start here
Where can I try Dessa?
Public access, official links and research applications.
Listen & learn
What do the demos show?
Find the moments worth hearing — and what they can prove.
Local use
Can I run it on my computer?
Downloads, weights, Mac guidance and local-use conditions.
For developers
Can I build with Dessa?
API status, pricing, licensing and integration readiness.
Make a choice
What can I use while I wait?
Choose an alternative for conversation, local research or an app.
Explore uses
Does it fit my use case?
Language practice, companionship, customer service and more.
Go a little deeper
A closer listen
The interesting part is in the timing.
Hear the official recordings with a little context. A chosen example can show a behavior; it cannot tell us how often a model gets it right.
A request to adjust the voice
Block marks a moment when Dessa is asked to speak more loudly.
A small acknowledgment
The GPT-Live-1 conversation includes a marked backchanneling moment.
One voice
Another voice
A few things worth knowing.
The short answers before you explore Dessa AI further.
Follow the evidence
Know what changes. Know what comes next.
Public access, API documentation and model downloads are separate milestones. Our update log keeps the changes and their sources together.