Mumbai: In a groundbreaking initiative, Monks, the global, purely digital, data-driven unitary operating brand of S4 Capital plc, has partnered with the Centre for Community Initiative (CCI) to harness AI voice cloning technology, enabling nonverbal children to communicate in a way that mimics their own voice tone and texture.
The ‘My First Voice’ interface leverages AI to provide speech-impaired children with the ability to express themselves using a voice that is uniquely theirs, capturing their natural sound patterns and familial accents. This pioneering effort is set to expand further as Monks and CCI announce an ongoing collaboration to scale the solution across India, reaching more children and families in need.
According to 2023 data from the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), 5% of India’s population is estimated to be on the autism spectrum, with a significant percentage of children being nonverbal. Autism Spectrum Disorder is just one condition that can lead to speech impairment—other factors such as cerebral palsy, hearing-impaired mutism, and developmental disorders also contribute to this challenge. For these children, the inability to communicate often results in social isolation and exclusion.
As a partner of UNDP and UN Volunteers, CCI has been at the forefront of disability advocacy, focusing on children with speech impairments.
Pauzagin Tonsing, Director and Founder of Centre for Community Initiative, explains, “There are many children with disabilities, even in a remote town like ours, but the biggest challenge is diagnosis and acceptance by parents because of so much stigma around them. Only with acceptance are we able to move on to their education and therapy needs.”
While organizations like CCI work tirelessly to support these children, resource constraints remain a significant challenge. “We struggle with resource mobilisation in terms of special educators, infrastructure, and money, but the community comes together to support the children and their families,” Tonsing added.
For parents of nonverbal children, communication can be a source of immense frustration and emotional strain. Many parents withdraw from social settings due to a lack of awareness and sensitivity around speech disabilities.
Christie, the mother of a nonverbal child, shared, “When people hear Patrick, they stare and point because he sounds different; he cannot speak like them. I feel embarrassed taking him out too much because I don’t want them to stare at us and talk about us. So we leave quickly.”
Caption: Pauzagin Tonsing, Director and Founder of Centre for Community Initiative and Pausuanlal Guite, Head of School Administration at CCI
Monks has responded to this challenge by developing an AI-powered solution that gives children a voice that reflects their unique tone and sound texture. The technology records and synthesizes vocal samples, including hums, grunts, and fragmented vowels, alongside speech data from family members, to create a voice that feels personal and authentic.
In a linguistically diverse country like India, where dialects and accents vary widely, Monks’ AI voice-to-voice training ensures that children can communicate naturally in their regional tongue. The technology also includes real-time text-to-speech input and preset options for children with limited motor skills or cognitive impairments.
Nemzaneng, whose son Tyson Lungousang is using the app, shared her experience: “An app like this, where he can type and hear the words spoken aloud, is incredibly useful for both him and us. The day he got the app, he was overjoyed and couldn’t wait to show us how it worked. Seeing him that happy made me so glad and grateful.”
The development of this solution has been a multi-year effort by Monks, significantly reducing the time required to generate a personalized AI voice—from three days to under five minutes.
John Paite, Chief Creative Officer, India, explained, “Creating truly natural AI-generated voices for non-verbal children required a hyper-personalized approach. Unlike conventional speech models, our dataset consisted of unstructured voice data, often unclear, mumbled, or lacking distinct articulation, making the training process significantly more challenging. Standard AI models couldn’t capture these nuances, so we had to rethink conventional training methods. By fine-tuning multiple parameters and finding workarounds for custom accent training, we developed a solution that mirrors each child’s unique vocal identity.”
By refining datasets through iterative learning, Monks has ensured the AI remains highly personalized while making the technology scalable.
Paite added, “This breakthrough will transform how non-verbal children interact with the world. With a voice that feels truly their own, they can express personal needs more naturally, whether communicating in school, asking for help in an emergency, or even sharing essential information like their name and address if they are lost. Beyond just speech, this technology fosters independence and a deeper sense of belonging, bridging the gap between them and the world around them.”
The pilot project has already yielded heartwarming results—ten children have been able to communicate using their personalized AI voices for the first time. A mother heard her son say, “I love you too.” A father listened as his daughter recited poems she had been writing for over five years.
Pausuanlal Guite, Head of School Administration at CCI, emphasized, “These days, almost every home has a smartphone, which can be the biggest learning opportunity.”
With an ongoing partnership between Monks and CCI, the ‘My First Voice’ initiative aims to reach more parents and children, ensuring that more nonverbal individuals can find their voice. By fostering collaborations with global nonprofits, the initiative hopes to gain further momentum and drive widespread adoption of this transformative technology.
