Over the weekend, another social media platform, AirChat, exploded into the fray. This app is like a combination of Twitter and Clubhouse. Instead of typing your posts, post them with your voice. The app instantly transcribes what you say, and as your followers scroll through their feed, they can hear you along with the transcription.
Built by AngelList founder Naval Ravikant and former Tinder executive Brian Norgard, Airchat takes a refreshingly intimate approach to social media. There are people I've known online for years, but it wasn't until we started following each other on AirChat that I realized I'd never actually heard their voices. Using this platform makes it feel like you're actually talking to each other, but because AirChat is asynchronous, it doesn't feel as daunting as joining a Clubhouse room and having a live conversation with a stranger.
Posting in your own voice may sound scary, but it's not as intimidating as it seems. If you say something wrong, you can re-record your post. But for someone who likes to send three-minute voice memos to friends instead of typing (or has a podcast), AirChat feels intuitive.
AirChat isn't worth using if the transcription is subpar, but it's the best speech-to-text product I've ever used. In English, it's almost always correct…even copying Pokemon names accurately (yes, I've tested this thoroughly). The app seems to work well in other languages as well. I found it to be functional in Spanish as well, and TechCrunch reporter Ivan Mehta said the app did a decent job transcribing Hindi. In some cases, the app may translate audio directly into English. Although the translations were generally accurate in testing, it's unclear why or when the app translates rather than transcribes.
So, is AirChat here to stay? It depends on what kind of people find community on the platform. For now, the feed feels like a San Francisco coffee shop. This may be because most app users have some connection to the tech industry, and tech enthusiasts are often the first to jump on new apps. This wasn't the case with Threads at launch (just an extension of Instagram) or Bluesky, which developed an early culture of absurdist memes and irreverence. Currently, the app has suspended invitations, so this won't improve in the near future.
The app's current culture may also be a reflection of its founder, who is influential in Silicon Valley and venture capitalist circles. But it's telling that when AirChat introduced the channel feature, the first two to appear were “Crypto” and “e/ac.” This means effective acceleration and is an aggressively protective move.
This doesn't automatically have to be a red flag. I (somewhat reluctantly) use Twitter/X every day, and I find the tech industry to be particularly noisy as well. But at least in X, my feed also includes posts about my favorite baseball team, my favorite music, and the ongoing debate about adding more bike lanes to my neighborhood. So far, I haven't seen many conversations on AirChat that aren't about technology in some way.
What I see as a red flag is AirChat's lax approach to content management.
“We're going to try to put as many moderation tools into the hands of our users as possible. We want to make it as hands-off as possible. That being said, there's no choice. Sometimes there is not,” Ravikanth said over AirChat.
The phrase “hands-off” brings to mind Substack, a platform that lost popular publications like Platformer and Garbage Day because it refused to actively remove pro-Nazi content.
AirChat did not respond to TechCrunch's request for comment.
Ravikant argues that AirChat should function like a dinner party, not kicking someone out of their house for participating in a civil discussion. However, if they start shouting violently at you, it is wise to intervene.
“We don't host for the content, but we host for the tone,” Ravikanth said.
In real-life social situations, it's normal to disagree with someone and explain why you think differently. This is a pretty manageable situation to deal with at your own dinner table. But AirChat isn't a normal social situation because you're talking to thousands of other people. Without stronger content moderation, this approach would be like hosting a large music festival, but with only one security person: her. While some may wish everyone could enjoy music and behave well without being monitored, that's not realistic. Look at Woodstock '99.
This is another way AirChat is similar to Clubhouse. Clubhouse's approach to content management was even more permissive, as there was no way to block users for several months after release. Thankfully, AirChat already has block and mute features. Anti-Semitic and misogynistic conversations were repeated in the clubhouse with no consequences.
With this minimalist approach to content moderation, it's not hard to see how AirChat can get hot. What happens if someone shares copyrighted audio on the platform? What happens if someone anonymizes another user, or if someone uploads CSAM? Specific ways to overcome these situations What would AirChat be without a plan?
We think the concept behind AirChat is great and hope people behave well, but we can't be too lenient. I want to know that if a neo-Nazi tries to politely explain to me why Hitler was right, the platform will protect me.