The gap between human-like voice interaction and machine-generated speech has been steadily closing, but existing models have been locked in a dilemma between delivering quality or speed. Real-time applications, particularly agents, can’t sacrifice either of these options. Developers need snappiness and emotiveness, with their apps feeling robotic if either one is missing.

Today, we’re thrilled to announce a game-changing partnership that eliminates this compromise.

PlayAI is partnering with Groq to deliver Dialog, our market-leading voice AI model, using fast AI inference from GroqCloud™. This collaboration represents a fundamental shift in what’s possible with conversational AI, combining PlayAI’s advanced text-to-speech (TTS) technology with Groq LPU-based AI inference infrastructure. Plus, we’ve made it really easy to get started with Dialog on Groq, get up and running in seconds on their console & API, or our new Dialog Turbo endpoint.

Breaking New Ground in Voice AI

Dialog has already set new standards for natural-sounding AI speech, outperforming competitive models by 3:1 in blind testing. Now, running on GroqCloud, Groq is delivering up to 215 characters/s on PlayAI’s Dialog model, a significant boost compared to the same model running on GPUs at 80 characters/s. That means that Dialog generates text up to 15 times faster than real-time. All without sacrificing speech quality. Paired with Time to First Audio as low as 200 milliseconds (and dropping by the day), your users will feel the difference with Dialog on Groq.

In addition to the speed, efficiency, and natural voice breakthroughs, PlayAI is announcing the launch of the first Arabic generative voice AI for the Middle East, and one capturing the nuances of Saudi Arabian Arabic.

Dialog’s Technical Advantages

What makes Dialog different is its unique ability to understand and maintain conversational context. Unlike traditional TTS models that process each sentence in isolation, Dialog was built with a novel architecture that considers the entire conversation history. This means every response is enriched with:

• Context-aware prosody
• Natural, emotional inflections
• Appropriate pacing and timing
• Dynamic speaker adaptation
• Multi-speaker conversation awareness

Trained on millions of conversations across over 30 languages, Dialog captures the subtle nuances that make human speech feel natural and engaging. This extensive training allows the model to handle everything from casual conversations to professional narrations with appropriate style and tone.

Why Groq?

The partnership with Groq represents a strategic leap forward in our ability to deliver Dialog at scale. GroqCloud infrastructure provides:

• Ultra-low latency inference capabilities (as low as 200 milliseconds) for Dialog TTS
• Blazing fast speed, generating audio at 215 characters/s, up to 15X real-time
• Real-time end-to-end speech infrastructure 
• Consistent high-performance and quality
• Cost-effective scaling

This means developers can now build voice applications that respond as quickly as humans do, maintaining the natural flow of conversation without sacrificing speech quality.

Available Today

At launch, Dialog on GroqCloud supports both English and Arabic languages, with several additional languages coming soon. The service is available through an API (documentation here), and GroqCloud Developer Console, a simple front end (GUI) with embedded code examples for using the Groq SDK.

Dialog via Groq is priced at $50 per million characters.

You can also use the same Groq silicon through your existing Play.ai account to supercharge your TTS generations! Check out our API docs here.

Real-World Applications

Dialog running on GroqCloud enables a new generation of voice applications, including:

Customer Service

Create voice agents that respond naturally and emotionally appropriately to customer inquiries, maintaining context throughout the entire conversation.

Content Creation

Generate synthetic podcasts where multiple speakers sound like they’re in the same room, with natural interaction patterns and emotional engagement.

Voice Dubbing

Produce high-quality voiceovers that maintain the emotional nuance and timing of the original performance.

Real-time Applications

Build interactive voice experiences that respond instantly while maintaining natural prosody and emotional authenticity.

Looking Forward

Our partnership with Groq is just the beginning. We’re excited about the future possibilities as we continue to work together to push the boundaries of what’s possible in voice AI.

This partnership marks the beginning of what’s possible when you combine state-of-the-art voice AI with ultra-fast inference infrastructure. We’re excited about the future possibilities as we continue to work together to push the boundaries of what’s possible in voice AI.

Get Started Today

Experience the next generation of voice AI for yourself. Developers can access Dialog powered by Groq on GroqCloud Developer Console, Groq TTS API, or our new Dialog Turbo endpoint.

For enterprise solutions and custom implementations, contact our team.