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Karnataka government partners with ElevenLabs to help restore voices with AI. Bengaluru: Voice artificial intelligence startup ElevenLabs has partnered with the Karnataka government on an initiative aimed at helping people who have lost the ability to speak communicate using a synthetic version of their own voice. Explore History The initiative is part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between ElevenLabs and the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS). The agreement was formalised by ElevenLabs co-founder Mati Staniszewski and Karnataka Information Technology and Biotechnology Minister Priyank Kharge during the company's first India Summit. AI-based voice restoration initiative. The initiative seeks to use voice AI technology to create synthetic voices for people who are unable to speak. By generating a digital voice based on a person's original voice, the technology could enable individuals to communicate while retaining a greater sense of their vocal identity. The partnership with the Karnataka government marks an effort to explore the use of emerging AI technology for social and public benefit, particularly in areas where loss of speech can significantly affect communication and quality of life. The initiative comes as voice-generation technologies are increasingly being explored for accessibility and assistive communication. AI-based systems can generate speech from text or other inputs, potentially providing an alternative communication channel for people who have lost their natural ability to speak. Partnership with Karnataka government. The MoU with KITS provides a framework for collaboration between ElevenLabs and the Karnataka government on the initiative. Minister Priyank Kharge and ElevenLabs co-founder Mati Staniszewski formalised the partnership at the company's first India Summit, signalling the startup's growing engagement with Karnataka's technology ecosystem. Book Local Tours The collaboration also reflects Karnataka's broader efforts to encourage the development and adoption of emerging technologies while exploring applications that can have a direct social impact. Focus on technology for social impact. For people who lose their ability to speak because of illness, injury or other circumstances, communication can become a major challenge. Conventional assistive technologies can provide synthetic speech, but the possibility of using a voice model based on an individual's own voice offers a more personalised alternative. ElevenLabs specialises in voice AI and synthetic speech technology. Its involvement in the Karnataka initiative is aimed at applying these capabilities to an accessibility-focused use case. The partnership could also demonstrate how state governments and technology companies can collaborate to apply artificial intelligence beyond commercial applications, particularly in healthcare, accessibility and assistive communication. Karnataka strengthens AI and technology ecosystem. The initiative adds another dimension to Karnataka's efforts to position the state as a hub for artificial intelligence, digital technology and innovation. Bengaluru's established technology ecosystem provides a base for collaborations involving startups, government institutions, research organisations and industry. Partnerships such as the one between KITS and ElevenLabs could help explore practical applications of emerging technologies for public welfare. The voice restoration initiative is therefore significant not only for its potential impact on people who have lost their ability to speak, but also as an example of how AI can be directed towards inclusive technology solutions. As the partnership progresses, its implementation and accessibility will determine how effectively the technology can reach people who need alternative communication support. Learn Hindi Read also. 12 February 2025 12 August 2026

Karnataka signs MoU with ElevenLabs to develop Voice AI for public services and voice restoration. The Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), under the Department of Electronics, Information Technology and Biotechnology, Government of Karnataka, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global Voice AI company ElevenLabs Inc. to explore applications of Voice AI for responsible use, citizen services and social benefits. The collaboration will concentrate on three areas: creating a Voice AI safety framework, employing AI-based voice restoration to assist individuals who have lost their speech, and enhancing accessibility to government services through Voice AI technologies. Stay connected Make The News Mill your preferred source See more TNM stories when you search for news on Google. Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge commented, "AI must ultimately be measured by the change it brings to people's lives. Voice AI offers an opportunity to make government more accessible and citizen-centric. But with it comes new responsibilities like safety, consent, trust and prevention of misuse." He added, "Through this partnership with ElevenLabs, Karnataka has the opportunity to work on both dimensions - to formulate strong safety measures to use Voice AI responsibly, as well as explore uses that provide solutions to real challenges faced by our citizens." "The possibility of helping those who have lost their ability to speak to communicate again in their own voice is a most effective example of using technology for public good. Our objective is that innovations in Karnataka should not only be at the forefront of technology, but should be used responsibly in a way that delivers meaningful outcomes for people," he said. Mati Staniszewski, Co-founder and CEO of ElevenLabs, stated, "We are proud that this is our first partnership with a state government in India. Voice is the most natural medium for people to interact with technology. By working with KITS, we are excited to explore how Voice AI can help make citizen services more accessible and restore voice to those who have lost it." In response to the increased capability of Voice AI to generate highly realistic synthetic voices, Karnataka and ElevenLabs will collaborate on designing a technology-agnostic Voice AI safety framework. ElevenLabs will contribute expertise to Karnataka's Responsible AI framework, focusing on voice and audio AI-related risks. Safety measures under review include detection of deepfakes, audio provenance and watermarking, obtaining consent for voice cloning, restrictions on cloning voices of public figures, and safeguards against voice fraud and identity misuse. The partnership will also explore protections to prevent unauthorised cloning of voices of public-facing government representatives and agencies, addressing challenges posed by the difficulty in distinguishing synthetic voices from genuine ones. Additionally, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building programmes will raise awareness among government officials and related institutions about emerging Voice AI risks. A major public interest initiative involves assisting individuals who have lost their ability to speak regain communication through Voice AI. ElevenLabs will offer free lifetime licences under its 'One Million Voices' programme to eligible citizens identified by the state government or affiliated organisations. The technology will enable users to communicate with synthetic versions of their own voices, including in Kannada. This initiative targets those affected by conditions such as mouth and throat cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and other neurological or degenerative diseases. KITS is in discussions with the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysuru, to implement the initiative and identify beneficiaries eligible for the free service. The programme represents a significant advancement in applying AI to support human dignity and inclusion by enabling individuals who have lost their natural voice to communicate and participate more fully in daily life. Furthermore, the partnership will explore uses of Voice AI to improve citizen access to government services and information, such as helplines, grievance redressal, and voice-based interfaces in Karnataka's languages, including Kannada. The state government and ElevenLabs will identify appropriate use cases and conduct demonstration and pilot projects. During discussions, ElevenLabs showcased various potential applications of Voice AI in citizen communication and public services. Given Karnataka's multilingual population and robust technology ecosystem, voice interfaces offer new opportunities to make digital government services more natural and accessible to all, including those with difficulties using conventional digital platforms. Specific use cases and pilot projects within the three focal areas will be determined in the subsequent phase, with the state government deciding their scope, implementation strategies and timelines. The MoU, signed on Tuesday by Avinash Menon Rajendran, Managing Director of KITS, and Matiusz "Mati" Staniszewski, CEO of ElevenLabs, is voluntary and non-legally binding and does not influence any future procurement or tendering decisions. Future initiatives will proceed through mutually agreed arrangements and comply with applicable laws and approvals. This story is written by TNM Bureau with inputs from ANI. The News Mill is a Guwahati-based digital media with focus on content from across Northeast India and beyond. The News Mill can be reached through [email protected]

Karnataka takes a citizen-first step towards using AI for public good. The Government of Karnataka, through the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), Department of Electronics, Information Technology and Biotechnology, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ElevenLabs Inc., a global voice AI company, to explore the use of Voice AI for responsible innovation, citizen services and social impact. The partnership will focus on three areas: developing a Voice AI safety framework, using AI-powered voice restoration to support people who have lost the ability to speak, and exploring Voice AI applications that can make government services more accessible to citizens. Speaking on the partnership, Shri Priyank Kharge, Hon'ble Minister for Home, Electronics, Information Technology and Biotechnology and E-Governance, Government of Karnataka, said: "AI must ultimately be measured by the difference it makes to people's lives. Voice AI presents an opportunity to make government more accessible and citizen-centric, but it also brings new responsibilities around safety, consent, trust and the prevention of misuse. Through this partnership with ElevenLabs, Karnataka has an opportunity to work on both sides of that equation - developing stronger safeguards for the responsible use of voice AI while exploring applications that can address real challenges faced by our citizens. The possibility of helping people who have lost the ability to speak communicate again in a voice of their own is a powerful example of using technology for public good. Our objective is to ensure that innovation in Karnataka is not only at the frontier, but is also responsibly deployed to create meaningful outcomes for people." "We're proud to partner with the Government of Karnataka, our first collaboration with a State Government in India. Voice is the most natural way people interact with technology, and we're excited to work with the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society to explore how voice AI can make citizen services more accessible and restore the voices of those who have lost theirs," said Mati Staniszewski, Co-founder and CEO, ElevenLabs. Building a Voice AI Safety Framework As Voice AI becomes increasingly capable of generating highly realistic synthetic speech, Karnataka and ElevenLabs will work towards developing a platform-agnostic Voice AI safety framework for the State. ElevenLabs will contribute its expertise to Karnataka's Responsible AI framework, with a specific focus on risks associated with voice and audio AI. The collaboration will examine safeguards around deepfake detection, audio provenance and watermarking, consent for voice cloning, restrictions on cloning public figures, and protection against voice fraud and impersonation. The partnership will also explore approaches to protecting public-facing government representatives and institutions from unauthorised voice cloning, an increasingly important concern as synthetic voices become more difficult to distinguish from authentic speech. The collaboration will include knowledge-sharing and capacity-building programmes for government officials and relevant agencies to strengthen awareness and preparedness around emerging Voice AI risks. Using AI to Give People Who Have Lost Their Voice a Way to Speak Again At the heart of the partnership is a public-interest initiative to use Voice AI to help people who have lost the ability to speak. Under the MoU, ElevenLabs will make available free lifetime licences under its One Million Voices programme to eligible citizens identified by the State Government, or by institutions and organisations working under its guidance. The technology can enable eligible individuals to communicate using a synthetic version of their own voice, including in Kannada. The initiative will support people who have lost their ability to speak due to conditions including oral and throat cancer, ALS and other neurological or degenerative conditions. KITS is already engaging with AIISH, Mysore, (All India Institute Of Speech and Hearing) to explore the implementation of the initiative and identify eligible beneficiaries who could benefit from free access to ElevenLabs' voice technology. This initiative puts AI directly in the service of human dignity and inclusion - using advances in voice technology to help people who have lost their natural ability to speak continue to communicate and participate more fully in everyday life. Exploring Voice AI to Make Government More Accessible The partnership will also explore how Voice AI can improve the way citizens access government services and information. Potential applications include citizen helplines, grievance redressal, access to government information and entitlements, and voice-based interfaces in Kannada and other languages spoken across Karnataka. The State Government and ElevenLabs will identify suitable use cases for demonstration and pilot projects. During discussions with the Government of Karnataka, ElevenLabs also demonstrated potential applications of Voice AI for citizen engagement and public services. For Karnataka, with its multilingual population and strong technology ecosystem, voice interfaces offer an opportunity to make digital government services more intuitive and accessible, particularly for citizens who may find conventional digital interfaces difficult to navigate. The partnership will now move towards identifying specific use cases and pilots across the three areas, with the scope, sequencing and pace of implementation determined by the State Government. The MoU is voluntary and non-binding and does not prejudice future procurement decisions. Specific initiatives will be taken forward through mutually agreed arrangements and subject to applicable approvals and laws. The MoU was signed by Dr. Avinash Menon Rajendran, IAS, Managing Director, Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society, Department of Electronics, IT & BT, Government of Karnataka, and Mateusz "Mati" Staniszewski, Chief Executive Officer, ElevenLabs Inc., on October 6, 2026.