# Microsoft Tests MAI-Realtime, a Full-Duplex Voice Model to Rival OpenAI in Copilot

*2026-08-03 22:01 UTC · AI · 1 min read*

> Microsoft is quietly testing MAI-Realtime, an in-house bidirectional voice AI model meant to replace its reliance on OpenAI's voice tech in Copilot.

Microsoft has begun early-access testing of MAI-Realtime, a new bidirectional voice AI model built in-house for natural, full-duplex conversation inside Copilot. Unlike turn-based voice assistants, the model listens and speaks simultaneously, letting users interrupt mid-sentence with clean, low-latency handling.

The model supports 17 languages, including English, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic and Hindi, with automatic detection and mid-conversation switching. Testers describe its two available voices, Victoria and Grant, as noticeably more natural than Copilot's current voice mode. It offers configurable turn-taking, either a silence-based endpointer or Microsoft's own semantic MAI-Ears system.

MAI-Realtime is currently limited to a small partner group inside the MAI Playground and has not been publicly launched. It slots alongside Microsoft's other in-house speech models, MAI-Transcribe-1 and MAI-Voice-1, marking a move away from dependence on OpenAI's GPT-Realtime model for voice functionality in Copilot.

## Sources

- [testingcatalog.com](https://www.testingcatalog.com/exclusive-microsoft-tests-new-mai-realtime-voice-model/)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2126-microsoft-tests-mai-realtime-a-full-duplex-voice-model-to-rival-openai-in
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2199-microsoft-testuje-mai-realtime-plne-duplexni-hlasovy-model-ktery-ma-konkurovat