Roblox acquires AI voice moderation start-up Speechly

Roblox has acquired Speechly, a Finnish AI start-up that specializes in voice moderation technology. The technology from Speechly will be used to enhance Roblox's voice chat service, which was launched in 2021. Prior to the acquisition, Speechly had received backing from Y Combinator and raised €2 million in a seed funding round in 2019 led by Cherry Ventures.

Speechly co-founder Hannes Heikinheimo expressed excitement about joining a company committed to safety and civility. He stated that their AI expertise would be used to evolve traditional moderation methods to meet the dynamic needs of a user-generated content platform. The news comes as Roblox laid off 30 employees from its talent acquisition team last week, shifting its focus to improving its current business.

Key takeaways

Roblox has acquired Finnish AI start-up Speechly, which specialises in voice moderation technology.
The technology from Speechly will be used to enhance Roblox's voice chat service, introduced in 2021.
Prior to the acquisition, Speechly had received backing from Y Combinator and raised €2 million in a seed funding round in 2019.
Roblox recently laid off 30 employees from its talent acquisition team as it shifts focus to improving its current business.

Roblox acquires AI voice moderation start-up Speechly

Key takeaways

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