Short answers, pulled from the story.
Respeecher was founded in February 2018 by a team of engineers in Kyiv, Ukraine. The company emerged from a landscape of rapid technological advancement and geopolitical instability to position itself as a bridge between creative industries and the harsh realities of war.
Respeecher received its first major public recognition in December 2020 when it was credited in the season finale of Disney's The Mandalorian for synthesizing the voice of young Luke Skywalker. This achievement demonstrated the viability of their technology in high-profile entertainment productions where the demand for authenticity and emotional resonance was paramount.
In 2023, Respeecher actively contributed to the development of the Zvook, an acoustic sensor system tailored to meet the specific requirements of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Company representatives played a pivotal role by providing expertise in automation and signal identification to enhance the system's capability to discern the origin of impacts.
CD Projekt announced in October 2023 that they had used Respeecher to synthesize the voice of Miłogost Reczek for the Polish language release of the Cyberpunk 2077 expansion Phantom Liberty. The company obtained permission from Reczek's family, who died in 2021, to honor his legacy while respecting their wishes.
Respeecher endorsed the NO FAKES Act in 2024 to protect individual voices and likenesses from unauthorized recreations. The company released a statement emphasizing the importance of safeguarding individual rights against unauthorized use of their voice and likeness in the age of advanced artificial intelligence and deepfake technology.