About Us
empath_AI enables organisations to decode human signals – giving them the insight to identify and support customers with cognitive or mental wellbeing needs in real time. Powered by Canary Speech, we bring the science of vocal biomarkers into regulated customer service environments, detecting signs of emotional and cognitive stress in just 60 seconds of natural conversation.
Integrated into contact centres, employee assistance programs, and digital wellness journeys, empath_AI delivers objective, actionable insights that support compliance, protect vulnerable customers, and elevate agent performance – without relying on self-disclosure. Our mission is to make stigma-free support seamless, scalable, and standard.
Built on Canary Speech’s clinically validated voice analysis engine, empath_AI offers a non-invasive, real-time way to surface early signs of distress, empower frontline teams, and improve outcomes across the board.
David Basson (Co-founder)
Redefining customer understanding in regulated industries – through voice
In today’s complex service environments, vulnerable customers are too often overlooked – especially those facing cognitive or mental health challenges who can’t, or won’t, speak up. Ralph Tucker and David Basson co-founded empath_AI to change that.
With backgrounds spanning financial services, technology, and compliance, Ralph and David recognised that speech holds powerful, untapped signals – not just in what’s said, but in how it’s said. Emotional strain, cognitive load, and early signs of distress are all detectable in the voice – if you know how to listen.
Ralph Tucker (Co-founder)
That insight drove them to adapt Canary Speech’s clinically validated vocal biomarker technology for use in real-world customer service interactions. No forms. No surveys. No self-disclosure. Just real-time, stigma-free insight – woven seamlessly into the flow of everyday conversations.
Under their leadership, empath_AI is enabling organisations to move from reactive responses to proactive care – replacing rigid scripts and checkbox compliance with intelligent, human-centred service. It’s a smarter way to meet regulatory demands, improve outcomes, and earn customer trust when it matters most.
For Ralph and David, decoding human signals isn’t just a technical breakthrough – it’s a blueprint for building more ethical, effective, and empathetic businesses.
Why Choose Us
Leading technology
Our vocal biomarker technology is at the forefront of innovation in customer support.
Regulatory compliance
Ensure compliance with industry regulations and mitigate risk.
Enhanced customer experience
Deliver exceptional support to all customers, improving satisfaction and loyalty.
Seamless integration
Easily integrate our solution with your existing contact centre and CRM systems.
Cost reduction
By monitoring the well-being of agents, we help prevent stress and burnout, reducing churn and associated recruitment and training costs.
Canary Speech is the leading AI-powered voice biomarker health tech company that uses real-time patented vocal analysis to screen for mental health and neurological disorders. Canary’s vocal biomarker technology captures and analyses speech data within seconds to identify irregularities in behavioural and cognitive changes before current clinical screening standards or noticeable symptoms for invisible illnesses like anxiety, depression and dementia.
Canary Speech is a Utah-based (USA) company that advances speech and language applications for health systems, payers and pharmaceutical markets.
Canary’s Story
Co-founders Henry O’Connell and Jeff Adams are two of speech and language technology’s most recognizable figures.
Their combined expertise in neurology research and speech technology – Henry at the National Institutes of Health, and Jeff leading Amazon Alexa’s founding speech AI team – drove them to explore the applications of speech technology in medicine. Speech and wellness are interwoven; vocal features reveal both emotional and physiological states. Henry and Jeff’s research into modelling these features and applying voice technology to healthcare built the framework for Canary Speech.
Nearly a decade later, Canary Speech holds thirteen issued patents and is a thought leader in the field.
Together, empath_AI and Canary Speech are working to transform customer service – bringing clinically grounded, real-time emotional insight into the heart of regulated industries to create smarter, safer, and more human experiences at scale.
