15 (software engineer)
Software engineer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
15 is an American software engineer, computer scientist, and mathematician. He is best known for creating 15.ai, a text-to-speech website credited with popularizing AI voice cloning. The pseudonym 15 is a reference to his claim that 15 seconds of speech is sufficient to clone a voice up to human standards, which was corroborated by OpenAI in 2024.
15 | |
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15 at Everfree Northwest in 2025 | |
| Born | 1998 or 1999 (age 26–27) |
| Education | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, MS) |
| Occupations | Software engineer, computer scientist |
| Notable work | 15.ai |
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| Channel | |
| X information | |
| Handle | |
| Website | 15 |
15 graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he began developing the technology behind 15.ai as a freshman. The site launched in 2020 and went viral the following year, becoming one of the first mainstream applications of generative AI and the first of audio deepfake technology. In 2022, he exposed the NFT company Voiceverse for plagiarizing 15.ai to promote its partnership with voice actor Troy Baker.
Media outlets and AI researchers have described 15 as an exceptional talent, highlighting 15.ai's non-commercial and indie status in a highly technical field normally dominated by corporations. One of the most well-known people from the brony community, 15 is commonly identified with his ponysona, a light-blue pony original character based on Tadano from Aggretsuko. 15 has supported and founded various fandom-related projects.
Education and career
15 attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),[1][2][3] where he received degrees in physics, computer science, and mathematics. His thesis was on quantum pseudo-telepathy in nonlocal game theory.[‡ 1] In 2019, he co-founded an analytics startup that was accepted into Y Combinator, after which he moved to Silicon Valley rather than pursue a planned PhD. He later left the company, and returned to his speech synthesis research. He was subsequently employed as chief technology officer at other YC companies.[‡ 1]
15.ai
15 began researching speech synthesis during his first year at MIT, having been inspired by Google DeepMind's WaveNet paper. His undergraduate research focused on minimizing the amount of recorded speech needed to reproduce a voice. His pseudonym refers to his claim that 15 seconds of speech is sufficient to produce a voice clone of human-like quality; the same idea gave the project its name, 15.ai.[4]
In March 2020, 15 released 15.ai as a free, non-commercial web application that allowed users to generate speech in the voices of fictional characters.[2] One of the first mainstream applications of generative AI[2] and the first of audio deepfake technology,[5] 15.ai became an international viral sensation in 2021.[3] Various news outlets reported its role in popularizing voice cloning in memes and content creation.[6][7][8][9] Reception to the project and its developer were generally positive, with many reviews particularly praising 15.ai's ease of use despite its technical sophistication[8][10] and the impressiveness of an indie project outperforming contemporary models created by large tech companies.[11][12] For his work on 15.ai, Player called 15 a "brilliant engineer",[13] and Independent described him as a "programming prodigy".[14] On Marginal Revolution, economist Tyler Cowen mentioned 15 as an "underrated talent in AI".[15]
Voiceverse NFT plagiarism scandal
In January 2022, 15 accused Voiceverse, an NFT company that had announced a partnership with voice actor Troy Baker, of using audio generated by 15.ai in its promotional material without attribution. He publicized the allegation on Twitter, and Voiceverse subsequently acknowledged that its marketing team had used 15.ai without giving credit. 15 responded to the company's apology with "Go fuck yourself". The exchange circulated widely online and drew a large amount of support for the developer.[16] News publications characterized this incident as Voiceverse having plagiarized and stolen from 15. The incident was documented in multiple AI ethics databases, criticisms of predatory monetization in video games, and retrospectives as one of the earliest instances of plagiarism and theft during the AI boom.[17][18] After its parent company LOVO, Inc. filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Voiceverse shut down and ceased all operations on May 27, 2026.[19]
Other projects
In May 2026, 15 launched Artist Alley, a fandom online marketplace for physical and digital merchandise and art commissions. He cited conversations with artists and vendors he met at conventions as an impetus for creating the platform. That month, he also announced the indefinite closure of 15.ai to focus on running Artist Alley.[‡ 2] In August 2026, 15 released 3place, a collaborative voxel art browser game inspired by wplace.[‡ 3]
Fandom activity
15 is a frequent attendee of furry and brony conventions. He is commonly identified with his ponysona, a light-blue pony original character based on Tadano, a tech entrepreneur from the animated series Aggretsuko.[‡ 1]