D: 🤖 Ever dreamed of having your own AI voice assistant like Siri or Alexa? With n8n, a powerful open-source automation tool, you can build a custom voice-controlled assistant tailored to your needs—without coding expertise! Let’s dive into how to create one using Speech-to-Text (STT), AI, and automation workflows.
🔧 What You’ll Need
- n8n (Install locally or use the cloud version)
- A Speech-to-Text (STT) API (Google Cloud Speech-to-Text, OpenAI Whisper, or AssemblyAI)
- An AI Model (OpenAI GPT, Hugging Face, or local LLM)
- Text-to-Speech (TTS) API (Google TTS, Amazon Polly, or ElevenLabs)
- A trigger method (Telegram, WhatsApp, or a physical button via Raspberry Pi)
🚀 Step-by-Step Guide
1️⃣ Setting Up STT (Speech-to-Text)
Goal: Convert your voice commands into text.
🔹 Option A: Google Cloud Speech-to-Text
- Enable the API in Google Cloud Console.
- Use n8n’s HTTP Request node to send audio to Google’s endpoint.
🔹 Option B: OpenAI Whisper (Cheaper & Simpler)
- Use n8n’s OpenAI node and select the Whisper model.
- Upload an audio file or record via a webhook.
📌 Example Workflow:
Trigger (Telegram Voice Message) → Download Audio → Send to Whisper API → Extract Text 2️⃣ Processing Commands with AI
Now that you have text, use an AI model to interpret it.
🔹 OpenAI GPT-4/GPT-3.5
- Use n8n’s OpenAI node to generate responses.
- Example prompt:
"You are a helpful assistant. Respond to: {Extracted_Text}"
🔹 Hugging Face (For Privacy-Conscious Users)
- Deploy a small LLM like Llama 3 or Mistral locally.
- Use n8n’s HTTP Request node to query your model.
📌 Example Use Cases:
- “Turn on the lights” → Home Assistant API call
- “What’s on my calendar?” → Google Calendar integration
3️⃣ Generating Voice Responses (TTS)
🔹 ElevenLabs (Best for Natural Voices)
- Send AI-generated text to ElevenLabs API.
- Return the audio file to the user via Telegram/Email.
🔹 Amazon Polly (AWS Users)
- Use n8n’s AWS node to synthesize speech.
📌 Example Workflow:
GPT-3 Response → ElevenLabs TTS → Send Audio Back to User 4️⃣ Full Automation & Triggers
🔹 Voice-Triggered via Telegram
- Set up a Telegram bot to listen for voice messages.
- Process → STT → AI → TTS → Reply.
🔹 Physical Button (Raspberry Pi + n8n Webhook)
- Press a button, record voice, and send to n8n.
🔹 Always-On Assistant (Microphone + Python Script)
- Use a Python script to continuously listen for wake words (“Hey Jarvis”).
- Trigger n8n via webhook when detected.
🏆 Advanced Customizations
✅ Add Memory → Store past interactions in PostgreSQL or Airtable.
✅ Multi-Language Support → Detect language and switch AI models.
✅ Home Automation → Connect to Home Assistant for smart home control.
💡 Why Use n8n?
✔ No-code/Low-code → Easy drag-and-drop workflows.
✔ Self-hostable → Keep your data private.
✔ Extensible → 300+ integrations (APIs, databases, IoT).
🎤 Final Thoughts
With n8n, you can build a fully functional AI voice assistant that:
- Answers questions 🔍
- Controls smart devices �
- Sends reminders ⏰
- Even tells jokes! 😆
🚀 Start small, experiment, and scale up! Your custom AI assistant is just a few n8n workflows away.
👉 Need a template? Check out n8n’s community workflows for inspiration!
💬 Have you built an AI assistant with n8n? Share your setup below! 👇