Heard AI

In a society increasingly navigated through voice-activated artificial intelligence (voice AI), people who stutter face a major barrier: existing voice AI technologies frequently fail to recognize disfluent speech patterns, leading to a cascade of disadvantages in accessibility, employment, and societal inclusion. Heard AI addresses this challenge by creating an inclusive voice AI platform that comprehends and respects the diversity of human speech. By creating a voice AI ecosystem that is accessible and responsive to all, Heard AI helps ensure that every voice is heard.

We collaborated with Heard AI’s Principal Investigator, Dr. Nihar Mahapatra, on the design of Heard AI’s brand and a documentary film to pitch the project in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator program. Each team in the Convergence Accelerator program is required to create a logo and film to include with their pitch for funding.

In December 2023, Heard AI was awarded $5 million in their second round of funding — thanks, in part, to our film!

Watch It Here:

The brand

Bold, COMPASSIONATE, dRIVEN

By reimagining voice AI through the lens of those who stutter, Heard AI not only champions the cause of a historically marginalized group; it also enhances voice technology for everyone, because all speakers are disfluent to some extent.

Heard AI’s brand is anchored in a drive for equity and passion for making technology a tool that works for all. Their vision is to promote scientific progress and contribute to a more inclusive society by embracing and understanding diverse speech patterns. We wanted to reflect their values with a brand that felt bold, technological, compassionate, and driven.