Ollama Update Adds Voice Catalog for AI Assistant Phonon
Your AI assistant could soon talk to you more naturally, with better voice and clarity.
Ollama, a free program that lets you run powerful AI models on your own laptop or desktop, released a small but useful update this week. The new version, 0.40.11, focuses on making its AI assistant, Phonon, better at speaking. Now Phonon has a catalog of voices to choose from, and it can pronounce symbols, numbers, and web links more clearly. That means if you use Ollama to have an AI read things to you or answer questions out loud, it will sound more natural and be easier to understand.
The update also fixes a bug that affected some code-writing AI models, ensuring they work correctly when generating code. It bumps the version of llama.cpp, the engine that runs many AI models, to b11845. For developers using OpenCode, there's a change to use allocated context. These are behind-the-scenes improvements that keep Ollama running smoothly and securely.
For everyday users, the biggest change is the voice improvements. If you rely on Ollama for hands-free help—like reading articles, explaining concepts, or assisting with tasks—the new voice catalog and better pronunciation make the experience more pleasant. It's part of Ollama's ongoing effort to make local AI more accessible and user-friendly. The update is available now for anyone using Ollama.
- Ollama's AI assistant Phonon now has a voice catalog and speaks symbols, numbers, and links more clearly.
- The update fixes a bug with code models and updates the underlying llama.cpp engine.
- For users, this means a more natural and understandable voice experience when using local AI.
Why It Matters
If you use Ollama for voice-based AI help, you'll get clearer, more natural speech and fewer pronunciation errors.