We are in the midst of a technological shift where machines are learning to speak. But for now, they understand the major languages best – like English. Now we're going to teach them Norwegian – the way we actually speak it.
Voice Lab is Threll.ai's language laboratory for voice AI. A national project to teach artificial intelligence to understand Norwegian speech in all its variations – dialects, intonations, expressions, and rhythms from across the country.
This is not a language debate. It is a language effort. An uplift for the Norwegian language in the AI era. And we need your voice.
From Aasen to AI
In the 1800s, Ivar Aasen traveled around the country to gather words and dialects. He built a language that reflected the people.
We do the same today – but with a microphone, mobile phone, and machine learning instead of a pen. He made Norwegian understood among people. We make Norwegian understood among machines.
What is Voice Lab?
Voice Lab collects voices from all over the country – young and old, women and men, from rural areas and cities. Your voice is used to train speech recognition models (ASR – Automatic Speech Recognition) that teach AI to understand Norwegian as we actually speak it – with all the nuances, variations, and character that make the language lively.
When the training is complete, your recordings are deleted. Simple, safe, and important.
Why this matters
Most AI systems understand English perfectly. But what happens when you say:
“Æ kjæm no straks, slapp av litt!” “E sett no her, ja.” “Eg e ikkje heilt sikker, eg.” “Je veit itte helt, ass.” “Det e kje så nøye.”
For us, it's natural. For AI? Complete confusion.
We need to change that. If we want future technology to understand us, we must teach it how we actually speak – with all our quirks, rhythms, and dialects.
This is not just about technology. It's about identity, culture, and community. About ensuring that the Norwegian language continues to live on – even in a digital world.
Join us
The AI of the future will understand us. It all starts with your voice.
Become a participant in Voice Lab – and help AI speak Norwegian.
