Independence
Dessa AI Voice Model Guide is an independent editorial website. It is not operated by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Block, Inc., Dessa, or Jack Dorsey. Product names belong to their respective owners.
Editorial method
We use the original Block introduction as our primary source and distinguish its stated capabilities from evidence we can independently check. Model claims are attributed to the developer. We distinguish demonstrations, public availability, and independent testing. We do not claim to have used an unreleased model or to provide official access.
Sources and freshness
The main source for this first edition is Block’s Dessa research introduction, retrieved October 26, 2026. The 21 demo recordings were retrieved from Block’s published media on October 26, 2026 and converted to AAC audio for playback on this website. The collection includes six featured conversations and 15 extended samples; model-to-model samples are identified separately. These are developer-selected recordings, not our own model tests. Availability can change. Each page is a dated snapshot; there is no continuous monitoring promise.
Team directory
The published researcher list names Louay Hazami, Hashiam Kadhim, Qi (Alex) Liu, Rayhane Mama, Aydin Polat and Marc Tyndel. Interns: Cara Ji, Jibran Iqbal Shah and Dvir Zagury-Grynbaum. Former interns: Aryan Sharma and Olivia Yan. The developer lists names alphabetically within each group; this is a dated record, not a claim about current employment beyond the source check.
The research team
Dessa is described as a small research lab within Block, founded by former members of the Toronto deep-learning startup Dessa. Ragavan Thurairatnam is identified as the lead. The lab says it has built deep-learning models since 2012, worked on generative speech for over eight years, and reports directly to Jack Dorsey, Block’s cofounder, Chairman and Block Head. These statements describe the developer’s team, not this website’s editors.
Editorial responsibility
This guide is published under the Dessa / Fieldnotes editorial name. It is independently operated and is not Block’s research team. No individual researcher is presented as an author or reviewer of this website. We attribute developer claims and label our own interpretation.
Corrections
We recheck primary sources before changing availability statements. This website does not accept model-access applications on behalf of Block. For corrections to this independent guide, email support@dessaaivoicemodel.com with the page URL and a primary source. Model-access requests belong with Block, not this website.