SoundHound AI uses more than just marketing buzzwords. Here we explain how its AI technology works.
Soundhound AI (Thorn 5.77%) With “AI” boldly in its name, it naturally raises the question of how much artificial intelligence (AI) is actually involved in its products and services.
Fortunately, we can confirm that this AI claim is true. SoundHound AI actually boasts a unique and powerful collection of advanced AI tools.
How SoundHound AI's audio analysis works
You may have come across SoundHound's music identification app of the same name on your smartphone. The company started there, with CEO and co-founder Keyvan Mohajer building and refining the Houndify audio analysis engine over the years.
SoundHound, also known as Midomi in its early days, used a different approach than other song identification tools. The original performance had to be recorded in its original state. Otherwise, empty search results will be returned.
However, Midomi and then SoundHound used a more advanced method.
First, the original melody is transformed into several layers of humming melodies. For the lead melody he is assigned one track, and for the drum pattern another artificial hum pattern. You can then hum or sing into your phone, allowing SoundHound's audio analysis process to match unique patterns of harmony and dissonance in your multitrack song database.
“It's simply easier to match one hum to another than it is to match the original recording,” Mohajer said in the article. Massachusetts Institute of Technology technology review Article from 17 years ago. Thus, a unique feature was born, where no one had tried to analyze the user's own voice.
Yes, it's a full-fledged AI solution
This is an advanced example of deep learning, and the lessons learned back then still apply to SoundHound AI's audio processing. The company is now a much larger business, with customers including automakers, restaurants and customer service call centers.
So if you encounter an automated menu system over the phone or at a drive-thru window, chances are you're talking to an artificial intelligence system from SoundHound AI.
Anders Bylund holds a position at SoundHound AI. The Motley Fool has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.