- The AI Voice Newsletter
- Posts
- Skype Is Officially Dead. Here’s What’s Next.
Skype Is Officially Dead. Here’s What’s Next.
Ryan Howard
May 09, 2025
🔊 Soundcheck
Skype is officially shut down after 22 years.
eBay's AI agent revolutionizes online shopping.
Bulbul: AI voice model for 11 Indian languages.
NBC revives Jim Fagan's voice with AI.
GIDR.ai partners with ServiceNow for AI voice integration.
Read time: 4 minutes
🔥 Hot Mic
Big moves, deep dives, and standout stories.
After 22 years, Microsoft officially shut down Skype on May 5, 2025. If you used Skype for international calling, lightweight business communication, or maintaining a U.S. number while abroad, it's time to find a new solution — Skype is gone for good, and Microsoft is pushing users toward Teams (which isn't a direct replacement for most).
Fortunately, there are better options in 2025. From Zoom Phone to OpenPhone, and from smarter VoIP setups to full AI voice agents, there’s a whole new wave of communication tools ready to take Skype’s place.
eBay introduces an AI-powered conversational agent to enhance personalized shopping experiences.
eBay has launched a conversational AI shopping agent designed to personalize the browsing experience for its users. This tool offers suggestions and advice based on individual shopping preferences, aiming to assist with product discovery.
The AI agent can be accessed directly on the current page when requested by a customer or through predictive messaging. Initially, it's available to a small percentage of users, with plans for a broader rollout in the near future.
This development builds upon eBay's previous AI-driven initiatives, such as 'Shop the Look' and 'Explore,' which focus on enhancing the fashion shopping experience by providing curated outfit inspirations and personalized recommendations.
Key Points:
eBay launches AI shopping agent for personalized browsing.
Agent offers suggestions based on user preferences.
Initial rollout to a small user group, expanding soon.
Builds on previous AI tools like 'Shop the Look'.
Takeaway: eBay's introduction of a conversational AI shopping agent signifies a significant step towards more personalized and efficient online shopping experiences, reflecting the company's commitment to leveraging AI in e-commerce.
Sarvam AI has introduced Bulbul, a text-to-speech model supporting 11 Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali. This development aims to bridge communication gaps in India's diverse linguistic landscape.
Bulbul features six distinct voices and maintains consistent voice quality across multiple languages. It allows developers to fine-tune the system to specific speakers, ensuring personalized and natural-sounding outputs.
Designed for low latency and cost-effectiveness, Bulbul is suitable for real-time applications such as customer service and healthcare. Its architecture enables real-time prosody adjustments and cross-lingual transfer learning, enhancing versatility.
Key Points:
Supports 11 Indian languages, including Hindi and Tamil.
Offers six distinct, customizable voices.
Designed for low latency and real-time applications.
Trained on diverse, high-quality datasets for accuracy.
Takeaway: Bulbul's launch marks a significant advancement in AI accessibility, providing natural-sounding, multilingual voice capabilities tailored to India's diverse linguistic needs.
NBC Sports has announced plans to use artificial intelligence to recreate the voice of Jim Fagan, the iconic announcer for 'NBA on NBC' from 1990 to 2002.
Fagan, who passed away in 2017, was renowned for his distinctive voice that became synonymous with NBA broadcasts. The decision to utilize AI technology to bring back Fagan's voice comes as NBC prepares to resume broadcasting NBA games in the upcoming 2025–26 season, following a 23-year hiatus.
This move highlights the growing impact of AI in media, particularly in preserving and honoring the legacies of influential figures. The Fagan family has agreed to this partnership, allowing NBC to use the AI-generated voice for select promotional content.
Key Points:
NBC to use AI to recreate Jim Fagan's voice.
Fagan was 'NBA on NBC' announcer from 1990–2002.
NBC resumes NBA broadcasts in 2025–26 season.
Fagan family approves AI voice partnership.
Takeaway: NBC's use of AI to recreate Jim Fagan's voice underscores the technology's role in preserving media legacies and prompts ethical discussions on AI's application in reviving voices of deceased individuals.
GIDR.ai has announced a partnership with ServiceNow to introduce a new AI voice platform aimed at streamlining service operations.
This collaboration signifies a growing trend of integrating agentic AI voice technologies into enterprise environments to improve efficiency and customer experience. The platform is designed to provide guided intelligence, assisting service agents in delivering faster and more accurate responses.
By leveraging ServiceNow's robust service management capabilities, GIDR.ai's solution aims to set a new standard in AI-driven service operations.
Key Points:
GIDR.ai partners with ServiceNow for AI voice platform.
Platform offers guided intelligence for service agents.
Aims to enhance efficiency and customer experience.
Reflects trend of AI integration in enterprises.
Takeaway: The GIDR.ai and ServiceNow partnership highlights the increasing adoption of AI voice technologies to enhance service operations, setting a new benchmark for efficiency and customer satisfaction in enterprise environments.
🎙️ Mic Drop
What else is making noise in voice AI.
Examines the technical and cost challenges still facing realistic, reliable voice AI for phone support. (The Information)
Explores how conversational AI and LLMs are redefining finance and banking ethics. (Intelligent Living)
Humach acquires Markets EQ to expand voice analytics for contact center AI. (Outsource Accelerator)
AI tool takes notes during pre-op consults, streamlining workflows. (Nursing Times)
Cerence sues Microsoft over alleged TTS licensing breach. (Bloomberg Law)
DeepLearning.AI launches new course for low-latency AI voice agents. (Blockchain News)
TTS model comparison: Which AI voice can actually "feel" something? (Hackernoon)
How-to guide for creating YouTube videos with AI voice tools. (BreakingAC)
AI voice cloning and dubbing help reach global audiences. (Raindance)
Conversational AI reshaping customer support in retail contact centers. (InnoTech Today)
Legal and emotional aspects of including AI voices in estate plans. (ElderLawAnswers)
Sarvam launches Bulbul V2, a native-accent TTS model for India. (NewsBytes)
Bulbul V1 also supported 11 Indian languages. (The Hindu)