A new generation of speech-to-text models is making high-quality transcription effectively cheap infrastructure. The new Google’s Gemini 3.5 Transcribe can handle noisy audio, industry vocabulary, 80+ languages, live streaming, word timestamps, and speaker separation. Recorded transcription is priced at roughly half a cent per minute.
The cost and the technology matters here, not because companies need more transcripts, but advancements and giving this to everyone's hand.
The real opportunity is turning the enormous amount of valuable speech happening away from keyboards into trusted records, decisions, and actions.
Every day, operators, technicians, inspectors, foremen, nurses, mechanics, scientists, and field workers explain what they see. They describe faults, workarounds, unusual conditions, safety risks, delays, material problems, and decisions made under pressure.
Most of that knowledge disappears. Some of it gets reconstructed hours later in incomplete forms, spreadsheets, daily reports, or work orders. This is where the next enterprise AI companies will be built.
Ranked enterprise opportunities
| Rank | Product | Economic buyer | Primary value | Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Industrial Shift Handover OS | VP Operations, Plant Manager, Process Safety | Prevent downtime and safety events | Exceptional |
| 2 | Pharma Deviation & Batch Evidence Copilot | Site Quality Head, Manufacturing VP | Faster batch release; better investigations | Exceptional |
| 3 | Construction Commercial Evidence Engine | Commercial Director, Project Executive | Protect change orders and claims | Very high |
| 4 | Inspection-to-Action Platform | Utilities, Infrastructure Owners, Regulators | More inspections; faster remediation | Very high |
| 5 | Aviation Maintenance Record Copilot | MRO Quality Director, Airline Engineering | Faster compliant return-to-service | High |
| 6 | Frontline Knowledge Compiler | COO, Reliability Leader | Preserve expert knowledge; improve training | High |
| 7 | Logistics Exception Control Tower | Distribution and Warehouse Operations | Resolve operational exceptions faster | Medium-high |
| 8 | Regulated Voice Surveillance | Trading Compliance, Procurement Compliance | Detect prohibited conduct and undocumented commitments | High, but crowded |
The startup thesis
The most compelling company thesis is:
Build the system that turns frontline speech into trusted operational evidence and completed enterprise workflows.
The initial wedge should be narrow:
- industrial shift handovers,
- pharmaceutical deviations,
- construction claims evidence,
- aviation maintenance documentation,
- field inspections.
Once embedded in one any enterprise internal or product, the product can expand into maintenance, quality, safety, knowledge capture, and operational analytics.
Speech is not the product!
