Startup Underdog has released a new retro-themed game called Woof to showcase its ultra-compact 32MB speech generation model. The game features interactive elements like a typewriter and music tuner that run entirely within the browser using the company's offline-capable model. The speech generation model contains 31 million parameters and is freely available for anyone to download and run locally without an internet connection.
This release follows Underdog's launch of Bark, a 167MB speech-to-text model designed for on-device transcription and dictation. Founder Sigil Wen created the system to provide users with private AI alternatives that let them own their data instead of relying on cloud providers. In addition to these voice models, Underdog has also developed a 27-billion-parameter model capable of running on laptops.
While compact edge models may not replace massive cloud-based systems, they provide practical solutions for local assistants and personalized audio. This development matters because it demonstrates the growing viability of lightweight, private AI models that run efficiently on everyday consumer hardware.