MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming
Microsoft's first real-time transcription model — 60 languages, partials in ~100ms, #1 on Artificial Analysis's streaming board.
About
MAI-Transcribe-2-Streaming, released October 1, 2026, is Microsoft AI's first streaming speech-to-text model and the listen half of its voice-agent stack. It transcribes 60 languages with continuous automatic language detection, emitting provisional partials just over 100 milliseconds after receiving audio and committing a stable final transcript when the speaker finishes, so agents can start reasoning mid-sentence.
The independent signal is unusually strong for a launch: Artificial Analysis's streaming index ranks it #1 of 38 models for both final and first-partial transcript accuracy — 2.5% word error rate at 0.13 seconds after end of speech. Microsoft says its internal tests show words appearing twice as fast as the closest competitor.
It is available through Microsoft Foundry and Azure AI Speech in public preview, which carries the standard no-SLA caveat until general availability. Pricing is $0.54 per audio hour, introductory through the end of 2026 per reporting.
Specs
Context window
Pricing
Free quota
API access
Weights
Released
Benchmarks
Independent (Artificial Analysis streaming index, ~8h audio): final transcript 2.5% WER at 0.13s after end of speech, #1 of 38; first partial 2.5% at 0.12s.
Provider: internal real-time dictation tests claim 2x faster word appearance than closest competitor.
Provider-reported unless a source says otherwise. Benchmarks are marketing-adjacent by nature — treat them as directional.
Use cases
Trust score — 8/10
Release facts (October 1, 2026; 60 languages; public preview on Foundry) corroborated across multiple independent outlets; the #1 Artificial Analysis ranking is an independent measurement, rare for a launch-day model. Docked for: (1) public preview means no SLA — not for production yet; (2) introductory pricing expires at year-end with GA rates unpublished; (3) proprietary with no weights.
How the trust score is built
Full methodology →- Adoption · stars/downloads, log-scaled vs peers
- 8.0/10
- Maintenance · recency, releases, issue load
- 8.0/10
- Openness · license + docs
- 3.0/10
- Manual review · sanity read + red-flag check
- 9.0/10
- · Adoption 8: Microsoft AI launch (Oct 1, 2026) covered by multiple independent outlets; on Foundry + Vercel AI Gateway
- · Maintenance 8: first streaming model in MAI lineup; public preview with no SLA until GA
- · Openness 3: proprietary API-only, no weights
- · Manual 9: Artificial Analysis independent #1-of-38 streaming ranking (2.5% WER at 0.13s) — rare launch-day independent corroboration