Quebec woman with ALS hears her own voice again thanks to AI app

Résumé détaillé

A new AI tool is helping people with ALS regain a version of their voice, making conversations faster and more personal.

When Anne-Marie Poirier speaks at family gatherings, her nieces and nephews hear a familiar voice — one they thought they might never hear again.

Poirier has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a progressive neurological disease that has robbed her of her ability to speak and affected her ability to swallow.

But a new artificial intelligence tool has brought a simulated version of her voice back into the lives of her loved ones, reinvigorating her family conversations and interactions.

“They are so happy. It’s as though they forget that my life is slowly coming to an end,” she said, using the AI tool during an interview with The Canadian Press.

Poirier first experienced symptoms in August 2024 and was diagnosed with ALS a year later. She began losing her voice in October 2025 and has relied on communication applications since January.

In May, she started using Vocality, an application developed by two young Montreal entrepreneurs that allows her to turn a few keywords into complete sentences, spoken aloud in a voice resembling her own.

Users can download the tool and use it after getting a paid subscription.

Eligible users may also qualify for financial assistance through ALS Québec, a non-profit organization that supports people living with the disease and their families.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is an incurable neurological disease that progressively destroys nerve cells controlling voluntary movement.

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