Nuance Labs raises $50M to teach AI avatars how humans actually talk

Lightspeed led the round for the ex-Apple researchers, whose full-duplex audiovisual model is due for a public preview later in 2026.

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Primary source: X - Fangchang Ma

Why it matters

Nuance Labs is spending foundation-model money on the missing mechanics of face-to-face AI: timing, gaze, tone and interruption. Its 2026 preview will show whether that requires a new model or merely better product engineering.

Nuance Labs raises $50M to teach AI avatars how humans actually talk — Lightspeed led the round for the ex-Apple researchers, whose full-duplex audiovisual model is due for a public preview later in 2026.

Nuance Labs co-founder and CEO Fangchang Ma (@fangchangma) announced a $50 million Series A on September 14th to develop an audiovisual foundation model that can interpret and generate speech, facial expression and body language in real time.…

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