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Dessa release status

Is Dessa out yet? We track whether Block has released an API, weights, a license and pricing, and log every change below. Independent tracker, not affiliated with Block.

OverallNot released
AnnouncedOct 23, 2026
Last checked
SourceBlock’s announcement

Short answer: not yet

Status by item

Not announcedWaitlist onlyReleased

API

Not announced

No API or SDK has been announced. Block's Dessa page only marks its launch links as coming soon.

Checked

Model weights

Not announced

No weights or code to download. The page has a Download button that shows only a coming-soon notice, and Block has not said what it will offer.

Checked

License

Not announced

Block has not published a license or terms of use for the model, so it is unknown whether anyone else will be allowed to host it.

Checked

Pricing

Not announced

No price, plan or free tier has been announced.

Checked

Availability

Waitlist only

Access is by application only. Block is taking early-access requests from AI safety researchers through a form on Block's Dessa page, using an institutional email. The page marks a public waitlist as opening soon, but it had not opened when we checked.

Checked

Paper and benchmarks

Not announced

No paper, model card or benchmark results. Block has published demo recordings only, with no parameter count or latency figures.

Checked

Hollow dot: not announced. Half dot: waitlist only. Solid dot: released. Every row: Block’s announcement, Oct 23, 2026.

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Source: Block, Oct 23, 2026

What we know so far

Block says

Trained only on recordings of human conversation, from scratch, with no text data.

Block says

Listens and speaks at the same time, and hears emotion, sarcasm, sighs and laughter.

Block says

Trained on one NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 system. Runs faster than real time on a MacBook Pro with an M4 Max.

Unknown

Model size, latency in milliseconds, languages, license terms, release date.

Newest first

Changelog

  1. Checked · no change

    We re-checked Block's Dessa page. Its text has not changed since launch day: no API, weights, license, price or paper, and the launch links are still marked as coming soon.

    Sources: Block

  2. Checked · no change

    We re-checked Block's Dessa page. Its text is the same as on launch day: no API, weights, license, price or paper, and launch links are still marked as coming soon.

    Sources: Block, Internet Archive

  3. Announced · waitlist only

    Block announces Dessa on Block's Dessa page, and Jack Dorsey shares it on X. The page offers an early-access form for AI safety researchers and marks the download and launch links as coming soon.

    Sources: Internet Archive, TechCrunch

How we check: we review Block’s Dessa page and its public announcements, and add an entry whenever something changes.

Sources

  1. Dessa - the Conversation Model trained only on speech, Block
  2. Block's Dessa page, archived copy from launch day, Internet Archive, 2026-10-23
  3. Block's new voice model sounds eerily human, TechCrunch, 2026-10-24

Want the background first? What is Dessa. Independent site. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Block, Inc.