Free The Voices
Office
Global
Services
Voice marketing
Data intelligence
Commstech
Diversity & Inclusion Impact
Corporate Relevance
Date
2024
Vocal diversity for an inclusive future
In a world where discrimination is all too common, LGBTIQ+ individuals face daily bias simply because of how they sound. Seventy percent of people prefer to interact with voices perceived as heteronormative—pushing aside and silencing those that don’t fit the mold. In an increasingly digital landscape, this exclusion is not just social—it’s technological. Virtual assistants and AI platforms mirror the biases of their training data, further erasing vocal diversity.
How can we break the cycle—and give every voice the space it deserves?
Solution
We identified the root of the problem in the very datasets used to train these technologies. That insight led to Free The Voices, a groundbreaking project that brings together technology, diversity, and creativity to reimagine the future of digital audio.
We created the world’s first global repository of diverse synthetic voices, built in collaboration with more than 1,200 LGBTIQ+ individuals across 12 countries who generously donated their voices. Using deep learning and acoustic modeling, we synthesized five unique voices—Libertas, Castor, Fulu, Hatysa, and Vega—each designed to reflect different tones, emotions, and vocal ranges.
These voices were made freely available in four languages—Spanish, English, and both Brazilian and European Portuguese—ensuring access for creators, brands, and developers across platforms from podcasts to virtual assistants.
To scale the impact, we published a white paper in collaboration with tech and vocal diversity experts, analyzing AI biases and the importance of training systems with inclusive data. Our global communications strategy brought visibility to voice-based discrimination and opened up wider conversations about representation in digital spaces.
In partnership with Monoceros Labs and their Fonos platform, we showed that technology can drive inclusion, ensuring that voices once ignored now resonate with authenticity and pride.
RESULTS
