Microsoft Azure AI text-to-speech adds a male voice and lots more languages

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Microsoft Azure has a number of cloud-based services and features for businesses. One of them is Azure AI Text to Speech, which uses machine learning and AI to convert text inputs to lifelike speech. In 2021, Microsoft announced Jenny Multilingual, a female voice that could speak naturally in a number of different languages.

Today, Microsoft announced a new expansion of Azure AI Text to Speech. Not only is it adding more languages, it's adding a new male voice, Ryan Multilingual. In a blog post, Microsoft stated:

This addition not only provides users with more options but also enables them to create inclusive and diverse user experiences. By introducing a male voice, Azure Text to Speech ensures that the technology remains adaptable to different contexts and user preferences, empowering developers to design solutions that resonate with a broader range of end-users. Moreover, both new voices come with the auto language prediction capability for the input text, eliminating the need for manual tagging as the voice can automatically recognize the input languages and adjust the speech output accordingly.​

The number of languages has expanded from 14 to 41 with this update. Here's that list:

• ar-EG
• ar-SA
• ca-ES
• cs-CZ
• da-DK
• de-AT
• de-CH
• de-DE
• en-AU
• en-CA
• en-GB
• en-HK
• en-IE
• en-IN
• en-US
• es-ES
• es-MX
• fi-FI
• fr-BE
• fr-CA
• fr-CH
• fr-FR,
• hi-IN
• hu-HU
• id-ID
• it-IT
• ja-JP
• ko-KR
• nb-NO
• nl-BE
• nl-NL
• pl-PL
• pt-BR
• pt-PT
• ru-RU
• sv-SE
• th-TH
• tr-TR
• zh-CN
• zh-HK
• zh-TW

In addition, Microsoft says that it has a new system that will automatically change the pronunciation, intonation, and phonetics of its AI speech in order to best match the specific language that's being typed in. Microsoft stated:

This breakthrough allows users to effortlessly switch between languages in the text input, creating a more immersive and authentic multilingual experience.​

The new male voice, languages, and adaptive system are currently in public preview in Azure's East US, West Europe, and Southeast Asia regions.