Michael Pappas

Today we’re opening the first piece of the Velma platform. Introducing Velma Transcribe by @modulate_ai - bringing our voice intelligence models to developers through simple, self-serve APIs. Built for real-world conversations: - noisy audio - overlapping speakers - messy human speech This is the first step in opening Velma to developers. Try it: bit.ly/47mf4R2

What do players actually want from community safety in games? Talking about it today at #GDC2026 with an amazing panel. Should be a great conversation. 📍 Room 2009, West Hall 🕒 12:45–1:45 PM Details: bit.ly/4rWsYl7

@willahmed @Durkin I'd love to chat - @modulate_ai 's been based in Boston from the beginning (MIT origins) and we're pushing the limits of voice AI - and some stuff that goes even broader!

@deepseek_ai beat @OpenAI 15-25x on cost. We've created a new model type which beats Deepseek by the same margin. So incredibly proud of the @modulate_ai team for this breakthrough research. (@bhalligan , here's the big reveal on the AI innovation we've been cooking up from #Boston!)

All real issues - though one advantage Boston does have is a culture of building strong foundations! I'm an @MIT alum and frontier voice AI company founder (@modulate). Based in Boston, already supporting hundreds of millions of conversations across enterprises. We're proving that great AI can be built in Boston, stay tuned for more details tomorrow.

I’m starting to worry about Massachusetts 1. Biotech is way off from a few years ago 2. Only 1 of the top 50 ai companies are in MA 3. The Fed research funding cuts hitting MIT, Harvard, Whoi are brutal. 4. The millionaires tax is working in the short run, but I know a lot of wealthy folks preparing for a FL move. 5. A glut of empty condos 6. It’s not “cool” for young folks 7. It’s expensive as sh-t. I honestly don’t think the MA/Boston govt can do that much about it as they are kind of macro issues. I give them big credit for working on building more housing and fixing the T, which will help. I’m trying to help w HubSpot, partnering w WHOI, teaching at MIT. I’d like to help more. Specifically I’d like to encourage and help more ai and climate companies in the state. I think ai and climate should be our dual growth engines.

ChatGPT for voice? It's possible -- but is it what you really want? Modulate is a leading AI tech company in voice analytics, and we do more for understanding real human speech than any LLM can do today. Stay tuned for an exciting announcement next week 👀

It's a good day at Modulate :)

@DrKowert @modulate_ai As you say, not quite a surprise - but certainly underscores the problem, especially since most of that toxicity is coming from a tiny but ever-present fraction of users. Thanks for the signal-boost :)

72% of the people who have used voice chat said they experienced incidents of harassment. @modulate_ai (shocking no one but still awful) wsj.com/articles/ai-bo…

Amazing to have @modulate_ai 's work with our wonderful client @gunraidersvr featured by the @WSJ. AI isn't "the answer", but a crucial piece of the anti-toxicity puzzle, and we hope these stories help folks understand how to make the most of these tools! wsj.com/articles/ai-bo…

@DrKowert Similar thing occurs for startups. I've gotten many emails saying "You've won the award for most-specifically-you-startup-in-a-category-we-just-made-up...in order to be featured in our website you've never heard of, please pay us a $1,500 processing fee." Wonderful stuff.

Encountered a new predatory email scheme this weekend. I received an email saying that I've been nominated for a research award but I just need to fill out a form. The form is a payment form for $60. Yeah, hard pass.

Some platforms have a plan, @danieljkelley - for instance, using @modulate_ai :) But the point is well taken - platforms can't just hope this kind of hate and harassment goes away on its own, they need to shine a light on what's happening and start taking action to fix it!

Super excited to speak alongside experts like @danieljkelley and @evecrevoshay at #gdc2023 about how toxic content can harm players (obviously!) as well as the ultimate success of online game studios. DM if you want to chat directly about online toxicity during the conference!

I grew up playing Nintendo games due to my folks' fear about toxicity in other titles. As more titles arrive on the Switch with online features, though, it's hard to stay true to that promise of safety - which is why @modulate_ai will now be there to help!

@DrKowert Despite the intricate detail in your description, can't tell if I'd be a fit here or not... :) But I've been known to do a science or two in my day.

Alright #gamedev - this is a GDC sound off. I'm organizing some round tables for SCIENCE... Who would be up for a chat?

Modulate is proud to announce we’re now an official @ADL Corporate Partner Against Hate! We're on a mission to make online interactions safer and more enjoyable for everyone, so we couldn’t think of a better partner than ADL. Read more on our blog: bit.ly/3i8DreP

Not nearly enough has been to understand the ways toxicity emerges in voice chat online...which makes me all the more proud that @modulate_ai and @TakeThisOrg were able to partner and produce some of the first meaningful research in this area. Knowledge is power!

Did you know only 6% of players cause more than 90% of toxic interactions in games? Join @Modulate_ai and the @ADL in a @GameDevdotcom webinar on 12/13 to learn more about what we can all do to reduce toxicity and make online games fun again. bit.ly/3AYqPNf

Modulate just raised a $30M Series A! This is a thrilling milestone and our whole team deserves to celebrate...but it's also just the beginning! Still so many exciting things to come - and I couldn't ask for a better group of folks to be working on such an important problem with.