ElevenLabs CEO Predicts Artificial Intelligence Audio Tools Will Become Commodities

Mati Staniszewski, CEO and co-founder of AI audio firm ElevenLabs, recently made a revealing statement for a company dedicated to building AI models: he believes these models will eventually become a commodity.
He shared this perspective while discussing the future of AI audio on stage at the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 conference this Tuesday, outlining both his near-term and long-term outlook for the field.
Staniszewski noted that his company's research team has successfully tackled key challenges in model architecture, and this focus on core model development will remain a priority for the next year or two.
"The technology will commoditize in the long run—over the next few years," Staniszewski predicted. "Even if differences persist for certain voices or languages, the overall gap in core capabilities will narrow significantly."
When asked why ElevenLabs would concentrate on model building if they are destined to become commodities, Staniszewski clarified that, for now, they represent the "most significant competitive edge and the most substantial leap forward available."
He cited the ongoing issue of AI voices or interactions that lack quality and naturalness as a problem still requiring a solution.
"The only path to solving it currently is... developing the models in-house. In the longer term, other players will also address this challenge," Staniszewski explained.
He added that for dependable, scalable applications, users will likely continue employing specialized models tailored to specific tasks.
Looking ahead, Staniszewski anticipates a shift within the next two years, with a growing number of models adopting multimodal or fused architectures.
"This means you'll generate audio and video simultaneously, or combine audio with large language models in a conversational interface," he said, pointing to Google's Veo 3 as an exemplar of what integrated models can accomplish.
The founder revealed that ElevenLabs intends to pursue partnerships and explore open-source technologies to merge its audio specialization with the strengths of other AI models.
The company's strategy, he stated, is to invest in both foundational model development and practical applications to build enduring value.
"Just as the synergy between software and hardware was revolutionary for Apple, we believe the combination of product design and AI will define the next generation of transformative use cases," he concluded.
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Mati Staniszewski, CEO and co-founder of AI audio firm ElevenLabs, recently made a revealing statement for a company dedicated to building AI models: he believes these models will eventually become a commodity.
He shared this perspective while discussing the future of AI audio on stage at the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 conference this Tuesday, outlining both his near-term and long-term outlook for the field.
Staniszewski noted that his company's research team has successfully tackled key challenges in model architecture, and this focus on core model development will remain a priority for the next year or two.
"The technology will commoditize in the long run—over the next few years," Staniszewski predicted. "Even if differences persist for certain voices or languages, the overall gap in core capabilities will narrow significantly."
When asked why ElevenLabs would concentrate on model building if they are destined to become commodities, Staniszewski clarified that, for now, they represent the "most significant competitive edge and the most substantial leap forward available."
He cited the ongoing issue of AI voices or interactions that lack quality and naturalness as a problem still requiring a solution.
"The only path to solving it currently is... developing the models in-house. In the longer term, other players will also address this challenge," Staniszewski explained.
He added that for dependable, scalable applications, users will likely continue employing specialized models tailored to specific tasks.
Looking ahead, Staniszewski anticipates a shift within the next two years, with a growing number of models adopting multimodal or fused architectures.
"This means you'll generate audio and video simultaneously, or combine audio with large language models in a conversational interface," he said, pointing to Google's Veo 3 as an exemplar of what integrated models can accomplish.
The founder revealed that ElevenLabs intends to pursue partnerships and explore open-source technologies to merge its audio specialization with the strengths of other AI models.
The company's strategy, he stated, is to invest in both foundational model development and practical applications to build enduring value.
"Just as the synergy between software and hardware was revolutionary for Apple, we believe the combination of product design and AI will define the next generation of transformative use cases," he concluded.
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