Pittsburgh Man Develops AI App to Give ALS Patients Their Voice Back

The app, called "Talk to Me, Goose!", uses voice cloning to help people with speech loss sound like themselves again.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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A Pittsburgh-area man named David Betts, whose wife Anna was diagnosed with ALS at 57, developed an AI-powered text-to-speech app called "Talk to Me, Goose!" that uses voice cloning to help people with speech-limiting conditions like ALS, Parkinson's, strokes, and head and neck cancer regain their own voice. The app allows users to create a voice clone with as little as 45 seconds of audio, giving them the ability to not just talk, but to connect with loved ones, including reading bedtime stories to their children in their own voice.

Why it matters

Assistive speech technologies on the market often sound robotic, so Betts was inspired to create a more natural-sounding solution that could improve quality of life for the estimated 97 million people worldwide living with speech-limiting conditions. The app is being made available for free to people living with ALS through a partnership with the nonprofit Live Like Lou.

The details

Betts, a consultant with no prior coding experience, developed the app in just 80 days. It's available on Windows, Android, and iOS platforms. The app's features include the ability to create personalized voice clones and use them to read bedtime stories, as well as integration with the Austrian Parliament. The app recently won the Zero Award for reducing barriers for people living with disabilities.

  • Betts' wife Anna was diagnosed with ALS at age 57.
  • Betts developed the "Talk to Me, Goose!" app in just 80 days.
  • The app won the Zero Award for reducing barriers for people with disabilities in 2026.

The players

David Betts

A Pittsburgh-area man with no coding experience who developed the "Talk to Me, Goose!" app to help people with speech-limiting conditions like ALS regain their own voice.

Anna Betts

David Betts' wife, who was diagnosed with ALS at age 57, inspiring him to create the voice cloning app.

Live Like Lou

A nonprofit organization that is partnering with Betts to make the "Talk to Me, Goose!" app available for free to people living with ALS.

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What they’re saying

“Admittedly, I was terrified and I still am but Anna always tells me I'm the most rational person because I'm a consultant and now I have a problem to solve.”

— David Betts (CBS News)

“If I can make something with no experience as a developer, sitting on my couch, in 80 days, and release it to the world, and then in nine months build it on Windows and Android and iOS that I think has capabilities of what's available, why have they not done it? And why are we asking people to settle for less far less than what's possible?”

— David Betts (CBS News)

“While I focus on ALS for obvious reasons, there's, we think, 97 million people living around the world with speech-limiting conditions who would benefit from assistive tech who lack access.”

— David Betts (CBS News)

What’s next

Betts plans to continue expanding the capabilities and availability of the "Talk to Me, Goose!" app to help more people with speech-limiting conditions regain their voice.

The takeaway

Betts' story demonstrates how a determined individual with no prior technical experience can develop innovative solutions to improve the lives of those living with disabilities. The "Talk to Me, Goose!" app is a powerful example of how technology can be leveraged to restore a fundamental human ability like speech, giving people back their voice and connection to loved ones.