Underdog Unveils 32MB AI Voice Model That Runs in Your Browser

As artificial intelligence companies continue developing increasingly powerful models, a growing number of startups are taking a different approach by building smaller AI systems that can run directly on everyday devices. Underdog is among the companies exploring this direction, recently showcasing a lightweight speech generation model that works without requiring a cloud connection.

The startup has introduced Woof, a new text-to-speech model measuring just 31.7MB, through an interactive browser-based game. The demonstration highlights how compact AI models could bring voice generation capabilities to smartphones, laptops, and other devices without relying on powerful cloud infrastructure.

Rather than simply releasing a technical demonstration, Underdog created a retro-themed game to show what its new model can do. The experience features a room filled with vintage technology, including a typewriter, a CRT monitor, a desk lamp, and a music tuner. Users can interact with different objects throughout the environment to explore the model’s capabilities.

One of the main features is the interactive typewriter. Players can enter any text using their keyboard, and Woof converts the written words into speech directly inside the browser. The game also includes a music tuner that users can rotate to generate different types of music. Even the desk lamp produces a sound when its switch is clicked.

The introduction also includes a playful warning about “intrusive” cloud providers, seemingly taking a shot at AI services that depend on remote computing infrastructure.

According to Underdog, Woof contains approximately 31 million parameters and is small enough to operate on most devices without an internet connection. The company has also made the model available for public download, giving developers and researchers an opportunity to experiment with it.

Although a model of this size is unlikely to match the capabilities of much larger AI systems, its lightweight design could make it useful for specific applications. For example, developers could use smaller speech models to build offline AI assistants, generate personalized podcasts, or introduce voice features into applications without sending user data to external servers.

Woof is not Underdog’s first attempt to bring AI capabilities directly to consumer devices. Just weeks earlier, the startup introduced Bark, a 167MB speech-to-text model designed for edge devices. Bark focuses on converting spoken language into written text, making it useful for transcription and dictation.

Underdog founder Sigil Wen explained that his interest in building local AI tools came from wanting more control over personal data. Instead of relying on existing note-taking services such as Granola, he wanted to create his own system powered by AI models running directly on users’ devices.

Wen believes that the technology is advancing quickly enough to make powerful AI models accessible on hardware people already own.

“I think we will be able to run most capable models of today on the devices you already own within months,” Wen said. He added that the company’s goal is to develop capable, open, American-made AI models that support private AI experiences.

Beyond its speech technology, Underdog has also released a much larger model featuring 27 billion parameters that can run on laptops. The company is additionally developing an application currently available through a waitlist, positioning it as a locally hosted alternative to Muse and Instinct.

With Woof and Bark, Underdog is betting that the future of AI will not depend entirely on increasingly large cloud-based systems. Instead, smaller models that operate directly on personal devices could offer users greater privacy, offline access, and more control over their data.

While the performance of these compact models will need to be tested across different real-world applications, Underdog’s latest demonstration offers an interesting look at how local AI technology could evolve.

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