IBM and Deepgram announced a collaboration to integrate Deepgram’s speech-to-text and text-to-speech technologies into IBM’s watsonx Orchestrate generative AI platform.

The integration is designed to provide enterprise-grade transcription, real-time captioning and voice interaction capabilities within watsonx Orchestrate. As part of the agreement, Deepgram becomes IBM’s first voice partner, enabling organizations to build voice-enabled agents and workflows using natural speech interfaces.

IBM said the addition of Deepgram’s technology addresses growing demand for conversational AI systems that can operate accurately in real-world conditions. Many enterprises are deploying AI-powered transcription tools to automate documentation and customer interactions, often in environments with background noise, diverse accents and complex dialogue.

Through the integration, watsonx Orchestrate users will gain access to expanded language and dialect support, including dozens of Arabic and Indian variants, along with regionally reflective voice options. The platform also adds custom tuning capabilities, real-time captioning and natural-sounding speech synthesis.

The companies said the combined offering is aimed at use cases such as automated customer care, call analysis and voice-driven data entry in industries including healthcare and finance.

“Voice is rapidly becoming the default interface between humans and technology, and enterprise deployments require a real-time platform that is accurate, low latency, and reliable at scale,” said Scott Stephenson, CEO and Co-Founder, Deepgram. “By embedding Deepgram inside watsonx Orchestrate Agent Builder, IBM clients can build voice agents and voice-enabled workflows on top of a real-time foundation that has been developed and refined over more than a decade.”

Nick Holda, vice president of AI technology partnerships at IBM, said the integration expands the capabilities available to IBM customers.

“Our watsonx Orchestrate integration powered by Deepgram APIs introduces new speech recognition and transcription capabilities to IBM clients, refining and modernizing their operations,” Holda said. “This collaboration aims to help enterprise organizations accelerate their AI initiatives and reinforces IBM’s open ecosystem, bringing choice and cutting-edge voice technology to partners and customers.”

IBM said the collaboration supports its broader strategy of delivering flexible AI solutions through an open partner ecosystem. For Deepgram, the agreement expands its reach within the enterprise market through IBM’s global customer base.