There is no shortage of innovation in video technology amid surge of digital content consumption globally. Startup Panjaya is using generative AI to transform reach of video content to multilingual audiences. It is a dubbing tool and a full-scale reinvention of course. It is named BodyTalk and promises hyperrealistic dubbing and translates audio into multiple languages that seamlessly syncs with the original voice of the speaker. The result is captivating with perfect lip movements and body language with the new language.
The journey of Panjaya started with co-founders Hilik Shani and Ariel Shalom. Both are deep learning specialists from Israel equipped with extensive backgrounds in AI for government applications. The startup has partnered with industry veteran Guy Piekarz who once sold his video tech startup Matcha to Apple. Panjaya aims to carve a unique space in the growing AI-powered translation and dubbing market. The company launched its BodyTalk lately with $9.5 million in outside funding that was backed by Viola Ventures and influential investors including JFrog’s Shlomi Ben Haim and Chris Rice. BodyTalk was an instant draw for Piekarz as he found Panjaya’s tech compelling to pass up after nearly a decade building Apple TV and its sports division.
BodyTalk works by blending best-in-class language models with Panjaya’s proprietary AI. Some of the other players in the video translation space are Vimeo, ElevenLabs and Speechify. The approach of Panjaya has raised the bar as users can upload videos and translate them into 29 languages. The tool currently operates near real-time and Panjaya’s team is working to achieve full real-time processing.
The term deepfake may evoke concerns about manipulation and misinformation, but Panjaya wants to shift the narrative. It has built in guardrails to control access and prevent misuse. The company is even exploring watermarking and other tools to help identify synthetic media.
The promise of BodyTalk is a technological leap and reveals the power of AI in enhancing authenticity as well as global reach. TED, one of Panjaya’s clients, reports a 115% increase in viewership and doubled completion rates for videos dubbed with BodyTalk. It is a sign that audiences resonate with content in their native language, especially when it’s delivered with nuance and precision. By pushing the boundaries of realistic dubbing, Panjaya’s BodyTalk could very well set the standard for a new era in video translation—one where “deep real” trumps deepfake and where AI is a bridge, not a barrier, to global understanding.
