Abstract: A method of guided data selection for masked speech modeling includes obtaining a sequence of encoded representations corresponding to an utterance. For each respective encoded representation, the method includes processing the respective encoded representation to generate a corresponding probability distribution over possible speech recognition hypotheses and assigning, to the respective encode representation, a confidence score as a highest probability from the corresponding probability distribution over possible speech recognition hypotheses. The method also includes selecting a set of unmasked encoded representations to mask based on the confidence scores assigned to the sequence of encoded representations. The method also includes generating a set of masked encoded representations by masking the selected set of unmasked encoded representations.

Abstract: A method for instantaneous learning in text-to-speech (TTS) during dialog includes receiving a user pronunciation of a particular word present in a query spoken by a user. The method also includes receiving a TTS pronunciation of the same particular word that is present in a TTS input where the TTS pronunciation of the particular word is different than the user pronunciation of the particular word. The method also includes obtaining user pronunciation-related features and TTS pronunciation related features associated with the particular word. The method also includes generating a pronunciation decision selecting one of the user pronunciation or the TTS pronunciation of the particular word that is associated with a highest confidence. The method also include providing the TTS audio that includes a synthesized speech representation of the response to the query using the user pronunciation or the TTS pronunciation for the particular word.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a reference utterance and an input text utterance. The reference utterance includes a plurality of terms spoken by a reference speaker and the input text sequence includes a corresponding transcript for each of the plurality of terms spoken by the reference speaker. The method includes obtaining a speaker embedding characterizing speaker characteristics of the reference speaker that spoke a plurality of terms. The method includes generating a replacement input text sequence by replacing the corresponding transcript of a respective one of the plurality of terms with a replacement transcript corresponding to a different term not included in the reference utterance. The method includes generating, using a text-to-speech (TTS) model conditioned on the reference utterance and the speaker embedding, resynthesized speech based on the replacement input text sequence in a voice of the reference speaker.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a training utterance including a sequence of audio frames and a corresponding ground-truth transcription and truncating a suffix portion from the sequence of audio frames to provide a prefix sequence of the audio frames. The method also includes processing, using a speech recognition model, the prefix sequence of audio frames to provide a partial speech recognition hypothesis and processing, using a prefix embedding multi-head attention layer, a sequence of prefix encodings to generate a prefix prompt embedding. The method also includes processing, using a LM, the partial speech recognition hypothesis conditioned on the prefix prompt embedding to generate a speculated speech recognition (SSR) hypothesis and determining a training loss based on the SSR hypothesis and the ground-truth transcription. The method also includes fine-tuning parameters of the prefix embedding multi-head attention layer.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a sequence of input tokens and inserting a sequence of special think tokens into the sequence of input tokens. The inserted special tink tokens are interleaved with the sequence of input tokens. The method also includes processing, using an encoder, the sequence of input tokens interleaved with the sequence of special think tokens to generate a sequence of encoder features. The method also includes processing the sequence of encoder features to generate an output result.

Abstract: A method includes receiving training data that includes unspoken textual utterances in a target language. Each unspoken textual utterance not paired with any corresponding spoken utterance of non-synthetic speech. The method also includes generating a corresponding alignment output for each unspoken textual utterance using an alignment model trained on transcribed speech utterance in one or more training languages each different than the target language. The method also includes generating a corresponding encoded textual representation for each alignment output using a text encoder and training a speech recognition model on the encoded textual representations generated for the alignment outputs. Training the speech recognition model teaches the speech recognition model to learn how to recognize speech in the target language.

Abstract: A method includes receiving audio data corresponding to an utterance and generating a pair of positive audio data examples. Here, each positive audio data example includes a respective augmented copy of the received audio data. For each respective positive audio data example, the method includes generating a respective sequence of encoder outputs and projecting the respective sequence of encoder outputs for the positive data example into a contrastive loss space. The method also includes determining a L2 distance between each corresponding encoder output in the projected sequences of encoder outputs for the positive audio data examples and determining a per-utterance consistency loss by averaging the L2 distances. The method also includes generating corresponding speech recognition results for each respective positive audio data example. The method also includes updating parameters of the speech recognition model based on a respective supervised loss term and the per-utterance consistency loss.

Abstract: A method includes receiving training data that includes unspoken text utterances, un-transcribed non-synthetic speech utterances, and transcribed non-synthetic speech utterances. Each unspoken text utterance is not paired with any corresponding spoken utterance of non-synthetic speech. Each un-transcribed non-synthetic speech utterance is not paired with a corresponding transcription. Each transcribed non-synthetic speech utterance is paired with a corresponding transcription. The method also includes generating a corresponding synthetic speech representation for each unspoken textual utterance of the received training data using a text-to-speech model. The method also includes pre-training an audio encoder on the synthetic speech representations generated for the unspoken textual utterances, the un-transcribed non-synthetic speech utterances, and the transcribed non-synthetic speech utterances to teach the audio encoder to jointly learn shared speech and text representations.

Abstract: A method includes receiving audio data corresponding to an utterance and generating a pair of positive audio data examples. Here, each positive audio data example includes a respective augmented copy of the received audio data. For each respective positive audio data example, the method includes generating a respective sequence of encoder outputs and projecting the respective sequence of encoder outputs for the positive data example into a contrastive loss space. The method also includes determining a L2 distance between each corresponding encoder output in the projected sequences of encoder outputs for the positive audio data examples and determining a per-utterance consistency loss by averaging the L2 distances. The method also includes generating corresponding speech recognition results for each respective positive audio data example. The method also includes updating parameters of the speech recognition model based on a respective supervised loss term and the per-utterance consistency loss.

Abstract: A method (800) of training a text-to-speech (TTS) model (108) includes obtaining training data (150) including reference input text (104) that includes a sequence of characters, a sequence of reference audio features (402) representative of the sequence of characters, and a sequence of reference phone labels (502) representative of distinct speech sounds of the reference audio features. For each of a plurality of time steps, the method includes generating a corresponding predicted audio feature (120) based on a respective portion of the reference input text for the time step and generating, using a phone label mapping network (510), a corresponding predicted phone label (520) associated with the predicted audio feature. The method also includes aligning the predicted phone label with the reference phone label to determine a corresponding predicted phone label loss (622) and updating the TTS model based on the corresponding predicted phone label loss.

Abstract: A method for training a speech recognition model includes obtaining a multilingual text-to-speech (TTS) model. The method also includes generating a native synthesized speech representation for an input text sequence in a first language that is conditioned on speaker characteristics of a native speaker of the first language. The method also includes generating a cross-lingual synthesized speech representation for the input text sequence in the first language that is conditioned on speaker characteristics of a native speaker of a different second language. The method also includes generating a first speech recognition result for the native synthesized speech representation and a second speech recognition result for the cross-lingual synthesized speech representation. The method also includes determining a consistent loss term based on the first speech recognition result and the second speech recognition result and updating parameters of the speech recognition model based on the consistent loss term.

Abstract: A method for training a speech recognition model includes obtaining a multilingual text-to-speech (TTS) model. The method also includes generating a native synthesized speech representation for an input text sequence in a first language that is conditioned on speaker characteristics of a native speaker of the first language. The method also includes generating a cross-lingual synthesized speech representation for the input text sequence in the first language that is conditioned on speaker characteristics of a native speaker of a different second language. The method also includes generating a first speech recognition result for the native synthesized speech representation and a second speech recognition result for the cross-lingual synthesized speech representation. The method also includes determining a consistent loss term based on the first speech recognition result and the second speech recognition result and updating parameters of the speech recognition model based on the consistent loss term.

Abstract: A method for training a speech recognition model includes receiving a set of training utterance pairs each including a non-synthetic speech representation and a synthetic speech representation of a same corresponding utterance. At each of a plurality of output steps for each training utterance pair in the set of training utterance pairs, the method also includes determining a consistent loss term for the corresponding training utterance pair based on a first probability distribution over possible non-synthetic speech recognition hypotheses generated for the corresponding non-synthetic speech representation and a second probability distribution over possible synthetic speech recognition hypotheses generated for the corresponding synthetic speech representation. The first and second probability distributions are generated for output by the speech recognition model.

Abstract: A method includes receiving training data that includes unspoken textual utterances in a target language. Each unspoken textual utterance not paired with any corresponding spoken utterance of non-synthetic speech. The method also includes generating a corresponding alignment output for each unspoken textual utterance using an alignment model trained on transcribed speech utterance in one or more training languages each different than the target language. The method also includes generating a corresponding encoded textual representation for each alignment output using a text encoder and training a speech recognition model on the encoded textual representations generated for the alignment outputs. Training the speech recognition model teaches the speech recognition model to learn how to recognize speech in the target language.

Abstract: A method for training a speech recognition model includes obtaining sample utterances of synthesized speech in a target domain, obtaining transcribed utterances of non-synthetic speech in the target domain, and pre-training the speech recognition model on the sample utterances of synthesized speech in the target domain to attain an initial state for warm-start training. After pre-training the speech recognition model, the method also includes warm-start training the speech recognition model on the transcribed utterances of non-synthetic speech in the target domain to teach the speech recognition model to learn to recognize real/human speech in the target domain.

Abstract: A method for instantaneous learning in text-to-speech (TTS) during dialog includes receiving a user pronunciation of a particular word present in a query spoken by a user. The method also includes receiving a TTS pronunciation of the same particular word that is present in a TTS input where the TTS pronunciation of the particular word is different than the user pronunciation of the particular word. The method also includes obtaining user pronunciation-related features and TTS pronunciation related features associated with the particular word. The method also includes generating a pronunciation decision selecting one of the user pronunciation or the TTS pronunciation of the particular word that is associated with a highest confidence. The method also include providing the TTS audio that includes a synthesized speech representation of the response to the query using the user pronunciation or the TTS pronunciation for the particular word.

Abstract: A method for instantaneous learning in text-to-speech (TTS) during dialog includes receiving a user pronunciation of a particular word present in a query spoken by a user. The method also includes receiving a TTS pronunciation of the same particular word that is present in a TTS input where the TTS pronunciation of the particular word is different than the user pronunciation of the particular word. The method also includes obtaining user pronunciation-related features and TTS pronunciation related features associated with the particular word. The method also includes generating a pronunciation decision selecting one of the user pronunciation or the TTS pronunciation of the particular word that is associated with a highest confidence. The method also include providing the TTS audio that includes a synthesized speech representation of the response to the query using the user pronunciation or the TTS pronunciation for the particular word.

Abstract: A method of guided data selection for masked speech modeling includes obtaining a sequence of encoded representations corresponding to an utterance. For each respective encoded representation, the method includes processing the respective encoded representation to generate a corresponding probability distribution over possible speech recognition hypotheses and assigning, to the respective encode representation, a confidence score as a highest probability from the corresponding probability distribution over possible speech recognition hypotheses. The method also includes selecting a set of unmasked encoded representations to mask based on the confidence scores assigned to the sequence of encoded representations. The method also includes generating a set of masked encoded representations by masking the selected set of unmasked encoded representations.

Abstract: A method for training a speech recognition model includes obtaining sample utterances of synthesized speech in a target domain, obtaining transcribed utterances of non-synthetic speech in the target domain, and pre-training the speech recognition model on the sample utterances of synthesized speech in the target domain to attain an initial state for warm-start training. After pre-training the speech recognition model, the method also includes warm-start training the speech recognition model on the transcribed utterances of non-synthetic speech in the target domain to teach the speech recognition model to learn to recognize real/human speech in the target domain.

Abstract: A method includes receiving training data that includes unspoken text utterances, un-transcribed non-synthetic speech utterances, and transcribed non-synthetic speech utterances. Each unspoken text utterance is not paired with any corresponding spoken utterance of non-synthetic speech. Each un-transcribed non-synthetic speech utterance is not paired with a corresponding transcription. Each transcribed non-synthetic speech utterance is paired with a corresponding transcription. The method also includes generating a corresponding synthetic speech representation for each unspoken textual utterance of the received training data using a text-to-speech model. The method also includes pre-training an audio encoder on the synthetic speech representations generated for the unspoken textual utterances, the un-transcribed non-synthetic speech utterances, and the transcribed non-synthetic speech utterances to teach the audio encoder to jointly learn shared speech and text representations.