An AI-based smartphone app translating conversations into text messages in real time

Nagish, New York: Developed an AI-driven app for deaf or hard-of-hearing users, converting audio to text and vice versa. Free, with corporate partnerships. Over 20,000 users in the U.S., Canada, and Israel in 2023.

Nagish, a start-up company based in New York, has developed a smartphone app for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. An AI-driven captioning engine converts audio into highly accurate real-time text and vice versa, enabling a seamless conversation between a texting person and a person who is hearing and speaking. Nagish is a free app, financed by corporate partnerships. In 2023 more than 20,000 users communicated via the app in the United States as well as in Canada and Israel. The organization is testing a beta version for companies.

Problems Targeted

Deaf and hard of hearing people very often face communication barriers, especially when trying to make phone calls.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

Nagish is a free smartphone app that uses its own AI-driven captioning engine to convert audio into highly accurate real-time text and vice versa in six languages. This allows for use even in noisy environments, and ensures privacy. The app is easy to use and does not require any special training or equipment. Users can simply download the app and start making calls. The Nagish app is free for all private users, and the company is also in the process of offering an enterprise add-on (in beta testing phase in 2023) that will enable employers to interview and hire deaf and hard-of-hearing persons. The feature can be combined with any video conferencing tools, including Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet, Cisco WebEx, and more. Comcast, a large US media company, is already using the add-on as part of its beta testing phase. . In 2023, Nagish was available in the Canada, Israel, and the United States in English, French, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

Nagish is funded through venture capital. A certification by the US Federal Communications Commission is pending. Once certified, Nagish will become an official relay provider in the United States and the first US provider to rely solely on AI capabilities. By the end of 2024, Nagish plans to expand into new markets, offering services in more languages and developing more tools for accessible communication. Services offered to companies as well as advocacy for governments for subsidizing the private usage will be used to keep the service free for private users in the future. (Awardee 2024)

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