Think about how much more you could get done if you could simply speak and check items off a to-do list or mark completed within a work process. With the use of speech AI, that’s exactly what is possible. Whether you leverage an open-source speech-to-text solution or a speech to text API, there’s a lot of advantages to be had when it comes to productivity, collaboration, and safety.
We’re going to look at what makes the best speech to text API truly shine, as we all as how to select from the growing list of the best speech to text AI APIs.
What is a Speech to Text API?
As companies seek AI and specifically speech AI tools more frequently, speech to text APIs (STT) are becoming commonplace.
First things first: API stands for Application Programming Interface and can be thought of like a messenger. APIs follow a set of rules that enable different software to communicate with each other through requests and responses.
Speech APIs are a type of API that allow users to speak naturally, and then, the software will transform the spoken words into transcribed text.
Key Features of Speech to Text APIs
Any type of speech AI solution, from open-source options to APIs to conversational assistants and the like, require a few key features to function properly. When you’re trying to find the best speech to text API, keep an eye out for the following features:
Accuracy
The most important concern for any speech AI is its ability to accurately understand human speech. There are challenges that come along with a computer system having to listen to and interpret what is being said, including: accents, dialects, languages, acoustic environments, and business-specific jargon or the use of acronyms. The top-tier solutions, like that from aiOla, are able to overcome these hurdles without sacrificing quality, speed, and accuracy.
Speed
Speaking of speed, you’ll also want a speech to text API that works quickly (and optimally in real-time). This way, whatever is being said can be processed on the spot so that employees can continue to move through their workflows without delays.
Customization
The ability to customize a speech to text API is paramount, especially for businesses that operate with a unique vocabulary. This way, the solution will be able to work with you to meet your needs. Similarly, you’ll want to pick a STT that can adapt to your compliance and security standards.
Ease-of-Use
Getting started with a speech to text API should be direct and simple. You’ll want to choose a solution that requires few parameters to set up and can work with most programming languages, if not all. It should take no more than a few minutes to set up and use.
Support
Since you’re selecting a speech to text API from a provider, make sure that they offer support. In turn, should you face any questions or roadblocks, you’ll feel confident that you can access the assistance you need to move through them.
Choosing the Right Speech to Text API: Important Factors to Evaluate When Selecting a Speech to Text API
Along with the aforementioned features to desire, you’ll have to figure out what’s best for your specific business.
A speech to text API is not a one-size-fits-all solution, so there are certain considerations to be made when it comes to narrowing down the list of the best speech to text AI APIs.
Here’s a look at what to think about:
Cost
Undoubtedly, the cost of the speech to text AI can be a constraint from the get go. Have a good idea of the budget that you have available to spend on this type of technology so that you can find a cost effective solution. Be sure to take into consideration your minimum baseline for speed and accuracy as part of the decision.
Security
Since this technology is capturing speech data, it’s imperative that it knows how to properly protect your business’ and customers’ data.
User Feedback
Another helpful way to assess what solution may be best for your particular circumstances is to take a look at user feedback and reviews. This way, you can get an idea of how people like you fare.
Popular Speech to Text APIs
Now, let’s uncover some of the best speech to text APIs so you can get one step closer to choosing which you want to deploy.
aiOla Speech to Text API
aiOla’s speech to text API leverages the company’s novel voice/speech component in its API form, meaning that it can plug into any existing platform. What sets aiOla apart is its ability to discern business-specific jargon in any industry, making it a foolproof speech AI solution for all companies. Along with understanding nuanced vocabulary, aiOla works in every language, accent, and acoustic environment. So, even if your frontline workers are operating heavy machinery on a manufacturing floor or performing safety checks on airport tarmacs, aiOla’s accuracy does not falter. aiOla’s word error rate (WER) is less than 5% (meaning its accuracy is over 95%), and it operates faster than most competitors, placing it high on the list of best choices! Additional features include speaker diarization, so the API can decipher who in a conversation said what.
Google Speech to Text API
Google STT API supports more than 125 languages and is well-suited for the user who prefers to remain within the Google ecosystem. It can be considered a more costly option as transcribing one hour of audio is $.96/hour, especially given that its accuracy percentage runs about 76.4%.
Microsoft Azure Speech to Text API
Microsoft Azure’s STT provides real-time transcription, as well as batch transcription. The solution offers a custom speech model and an out-of-box solution that uses a Universal Language Model. The model can be trained with Microsoft-owned data to customize it to understand your company’s relevant text data. Its accuracy sits around 94%.
Whisper Speech to Text API
Open AI Whisper delivers an open-source speech AI model for automatic speech recognition (ASR), of which the company states the tool was designed for AI researchers to explore. It has proven to be highly useful for developers and researchers that wish to expand upon its model to build prototypes and improve upon its abilities. Additionally OpenAI provides its speech to text API, with file uploads limited to 25 MB.
Deepgram Speech to Text API
Deepgram has created a fully managed Whisper API to support five open source models. It runs faster than OpenAI, but it is also more expensive and supports fewer languages than the other options on this list.
Assembly Speech to Text API
AssemblyAI provides a STT API with multiple features, including sentiment analysis and PII redaction. The cost starts at $.65/hour of audio, with upsells that cause more expensive transcription pricing. That being said, its accuracy is also just over 95%, so if you have a budget that is conducive, it could work well.
The Bottom Line
With a basic understanding of all that a speech to text API can do for your business, it’s time to decide which one is calling your name. Speech to text APIs integrate with your existing toolstack, transforming your business into a powerhouse that can operate efficiently through the aid of the spoken word.
If you’re interested in learning more about aiOla’s speech to text API, visit our website.
