AI

What AI does

AI, Inc. (株式会社エーアイ) is a Japanese voice technology company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard Market (ticker 4388) since December 2025. The company develops and sells the AITalk family of AI voice synthesis products, the vGate family of voice recognition, biometric authentication, and acoustic AI inspection products, the Visionary CRM platform, and consumer character software under the A.I.VOICE and VOICEROID brands. Its core technology combines a waveform concatenation engine with a deep neural network (DNN) synthesis method, supported by proprietary Japanese language parsing that optimizes reading, accent, and intonation.

The company serves enterprise and consumer customers across a wide range of verticals, including call centers and IVR (Dr.JOY, WOWOW Communications), public transportation and infrastructure (Kawasaki Tsurumi Rinko Bus, Keiyo Ad System, Kawasaki bus operator for all 333 buses), automotive and navigation (Cerence, Zenrin Datacom), robotics and consumer electronics (GROOVE X LOVOT, VAIO, Panasonic Connect), media and publishing (Kodansha, flier audio summaries), healthcare (Akita University Hospital, Tsumura virtual MR), and education (Yokohama National University). Named enterprise adoption exceeds 2,000 companies with 400+ bespoke voice creation projects, and the Coestation consumer app reached 150,000 registered users by November 2025.

Revenue is generated through a mix of one-time software licenses (AITalk 声の職人 package, A.I.VOICE consumer), recurring cloud subscriptions (AITalk Cloud/声の職人 Cloud), SDK and API licensing (AITalk SDK, vGate ASR SDK, AITalk WebAPI), professional services for large-scale voice file creation and AI Voice Consulting, and technology licensing to partners such as Cerence. Following the September 2024 merger with Futrek, the company operates an R&D presence at Keihanna Science City (Nara) alongside its Tokyo headquarters, and reports the No. 1 position in the Japanese voice synthesis market per ITR.

Name

AI

Legal name

株式会社エーアイ

Website

https://ai-j.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AI, Inc. is a Japanese AI voice technology company that develops the AITalk voice synthesis engine, vGate voice recognition and sound inspection products, and consumer character software, serving over 2,000 enterprises and individual creators across call center, transportation, automotive, healthcare, and media verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Voice Synthesis Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Voice Cloning, Dubbing & Audio Generative Media (HDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• AI voice synthesis
• Speech recognition software
• Text-to-speech engine
• Voice biometric authentication
• Acoustic AI inspection

Headquarters

HQ city

Nishikata

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses (Packaged/Download): One-time perpetual license sales for PC-installed voice synthesis software (e.g., AITalk® 声の職人 package version). Customer purchases the software outright and installs locally. Also includes VOICEROID series and A.I.VOICE consumer products sold as one-time licenses.
2. Cloud/SaaS Subscriptions: Monthly or annual subscription plans for cloud-based voice synthesis services (AITalk® 声の職人 Cloud/AICloud, Coestation SaaS). Customers pay recurring fees to access the service via web browser without local installation.
3. SDK/Embedded Licenses: Licensing of voice synthesis and recognition SDKs (AITalk SDK, vGate ASR SDK) for embedding into third-party products, devices, and enterprise systems. Revenue generated through technology licensing and integration fees.
4. Voice File Creation Service: Bespoke voice file production service for large-scale projects (5,000+ characters), where the company creates and delivers voice files on behalf of clients using its AI synthesis technology.
5. AI Voice Consulting: Consulting services for AI voice strategy, including strategy formulation, technology validation (PoC), custom development, quality optimization and evaluation. Provided by senior AI consultants with expertise in voice dialogue, market analysis, and predictive maintenance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AI, Inc. develops and sells proprietary AI voice synthesis (AITalk®) and voice recognition (vGate®) technologies, delivered as packaged software, cloud SaaS subscriptions, REST APIs, and embedded SDKs for enterprise and consumer markets. The product family also includes the Visionary® CRM platform, coestation® cloud voice service, SLFramework embedded dialogue framework, AITalk Custom Voice bespoke voice creation, and consumer character voice software (A.I.VOICE, VOICEROID). AI voice consulting services support enterprise customers from strategy formulation through implementation.

Product overview

AI, Inc. (株式会社エーアイ) is a Japanese voice technology company offering a comprehensive AI voice synthesis and recognition platform. The core AITalk voice synthesis engine (including variants: AITalk 声の職人 package/cloud/server versions, AITalk WebAPI, AITalk micro embedded SDK, AITalk Custom Voice, AITalk International, and consumer products like AITalk あなたの声) provides text-to-speech capabilities with natural voice quality. The vGate family (vGate ASR speech recognition, vGate Authentication voice biometrics, vGate Aispect sound inspection) handles speech input and audio analysis. Supporting products include Visionary CRM for customer management and coestation for character voices. The product line also includes A.I.VOICE consumer software, SLFramework embedded SDK, and AI voice consulting services. The portfolio spans enterprise, embedded, cloud, and consumer markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AITalk®: 高品質AI音声合成エンジン - 日本語音声合成の主要製品群
• A.I.VOICE®
• VOICEROID®
• vGate®
• Visionary®
• coestation®

Products and services

• AITalk® Voice Synthesis Engine High-quality Japanese AI voice synthesis engine with proprietary Japanese language parsing; converts text to natural speech with emotion, intonation, speed, pitch, and accent control across 100+ speaker voices and 60+ language variants. Sold as packaged software, cloud subscription, server deployment, REST API, or embedded SDK to enterprises and developers.
• vGate® ASR Voice Recognition High-accuracy AI speech recognition system with strong noise resistance, voice activity detection, and wake-word functionality. Supports Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. Available as cloud-connected server-type and embedded local-type for IoT, robotics, automotive navigation, and voice control applications. Customers include NTT Docomo, Kodansha's ATOM robot, Zenrin DataCom, VAIO, and GROOVE X's LOVOT.
• vGate® Authentication Voice Biometrics Voice biometric authentication system providing speaker identification and verification for security applications.
• vGate Aispect® Acoustic AI Inspection AI-powered sound inspection system that analyzes machinery and equipment operating sounds to detect anomalies and defects, replacing reliance on experienced worker judgment and enabling predictive maintenance and quality control.
• AITalk® Custom Voice® Bespoke Voice Creation Service Service creating original custom voice dictionaries from recordings of celebrities, voice actors, or a user's own voice. Enables unique branded voices for applications, games, museums, and digital characters. Personal voice recording package (AITalk® あなたの声®) priced at 400,000 JPY (440,000 JPY incl. tax) for 50-200 sentences, recorded at the Tokyo Shibuya studio with delivery in approximately one month.
• SLFramework Embedded Voice Dialogue Framework Integrated SDK combining voice synthesis and voice recognition in a single offline-capable package, with a shared user dictionary between recognition and synthesis. Low resource requirements (RAM 400MB, ROM 210MB), runs on Raspberry Pi 4, Windows/Linux compatible. Targets embedded IoT, robotics, and security-sensitive offline deployments.
• Visionary® CRM Customer Management System Integrated CRM platform covering member management, point management, purchase analytics, email distribution, coupon management, event administration, push notifications, and customer authentication infrastructure. Modular deployment allows customers to select needed features. Customers include Godiva Japan and Sankei Shimbun.
• coestation® Cloud Voice Service SaaS cloud-based AI voice synthesis service offering diverse voice characters from general users to celebrities for business applications including tourism, announcements, call centers, and virtual characters. Accessed via web browser without local installation.
• A.I.VOICE® Consumer Character Voice Software Character-focused consumer voice synthesis software with emphasis on personality and emotion expression. Individual license for personal use; corporate/commercial license required for business use. Targets YouTubers, indie game developers, and content creators via the aivoice.jp brand portal.
• VOICEROID® Consumer Text-to-Speech Series Long-running consumer text-to-speech software brand with multiple character editions (琴葉茜・葵, 東北イタコ, 結月ゆかり, ついなちゃん, 伊織弓鶴, etc.). Distributed via ah-soft.com and the company's own aivoice.jp portal.
• AI Voice Consulting Service Professional consulting service for AI voice strategy, providing end-to-end support from strategy formulation through technical verification (PoC), custom development, and quality optimization for enterprises adopting voice AI. Delivered by senior AI consultants with expertise in voice dialogue, market analysis, and predictive maintenance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% reduction in excursion documentation time for food distributors implementing AI FSMA compliance monitoring
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Akasaka LLP (European voice synthesis market)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 2025AI, Inc. established a collaboration with Akasaka LLP, described as Europe's largest multilingual voice synthesis company, for overseas voice synthesis market expansion. Partnership announced in December 2020.
• Cerence Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationAI, Inc. provides technology licensing for Cerence's conversational AI and generative AI products. Cerence, spun off from Nuance Communications' automotive division, uses AI, Inc.'s voice synthesis engine for automotive voice assistants. A formal license contract was announced in November 2019.
• Yamaha株式会社minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI, Inc. collaborated with Yamaha on SoundUD (Sound for Universal Design) — a technology enabling devices to emit inaudible audio tones for identification and information delivery. AITalk/AICloud was integrated as a new option for the SoundUD ecosystem, supporting hospitality services for inbound international travelers.
• GROOVE X株式会社coreTechnology or IntegrationGROOVE X's companion robot 'LOVOT' uses vGate ASR voice recognition with a custom model trained on children's speech patterns and the unique way users speak to the robot. Local-type vGate ASR enables stable operation even when the robot is carried around rooms.
• VAIO株式会社coreTechnology or IntegrationVAIO adopted vGate ASR for their character product 'おしゃべりコウペンちゃん' — a voice-interactive companion character. The local-type voice recognition enables accurate recognition without requiring internet connection.
• 秋田大学医学部付属病院minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAkita University Hospital implemented AITalk for patient pre-procedure explanation slides with audio narration, enabling patients to watch explanatory slides while staff prepared medical records — improving efficiency and patient comprehension.
• 株式会社フュートレックcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI, Inc. merged with Futrek (株式会社フュートレック), combining voice synthesis expertise with Futrek's capabilities to create a stronger voice technology company. The merger was announced on the company website with combined product/service offerings.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• ElevenLabs: A fast-growing voice AI company specializing in high-quality multilingual text-to-speech and voice cloning — the most prominent emerging competitor in AI voice synthesis, with rapidly improving Japanese support.
• WellSaid Labs: An enterprise-focused AI voice generator producing studio-quality synthetic voices for corporate training, e-learning, and media — a focused comparable in the corporate narration use case AI, Inc. serves.
• Speechmatics: A UK-based automatic speech recognition (ASR) specialist with broad language coverage — the most direct comparable to AI, Inc.'s vGate ASR product in noise-robust enterprise speech recognition.
• Resemble AI: A voice AI startup focused on real-time voice cloning and TTS for enterprise, gaming, and media — directly comparable to AI, Inc.'s AITalk Custom Voice offering for branded and personal voice creation.
• Play.ht: A voice synthesis platform offering multilingual TTS and voice cloning APIs for content creators, publishers, and enterprises — overlapping with AITalk's WebAPI and Coestation cloud product lines.

Broad incumbents

• SoundHound AI: A publicly traded voice AI platform offering speech recognition and conversational AI across automotive, restaurant, and enterprise verticals — overlaps with AI, Inc.'s vGate ASR and AITalk applications at a broader portfolio level.
• ReadSpeaker (HOYA): An established multilingual text-to-speech provider owned by HOYA, offering enterprise TTS APIs and embedded voices across many languages — a comparable packaged/SaaS voice synthesis vendor at greater international scale.

Direct peers

• Cerence Inc. AI, Inc. licenses its AITalk engine to Cerence for use in Cerence's automotive conversational AI products, making Cerence simultaneously a customer/partner and the most direct comparable in voice synthesis for embedded/automotive applications.

Regional players

• GROOVE X: A Japanese companion robotics company whose LOVOT robot uses AI, Inc.'s vGate ASR. As a Japanese embedded AI customer/partner, GROOVE X represents a comparable local ecosystem player in consumer robotics voice integration.

Others

• Yamaha Corporation: A technology partner through the SoundUD initiative where AI, Inc. integrated AITalk as a voice option. While broader in musical instruments and audio, Yamaha's SoundUD embedded audio platform overlaps with AITalk's multilingual voice applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/official_ai
• Facebookfacebook.com/aitalk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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