Voice input uses your browser's built-in speech recognition. The face and voice animation run on your device; our conversation is with the real Artie AI over the network. If it can't be reached, Artie falls back to quick on-device answers. The speaker icon at the top right turns my voice on and off — use the Test sound button above to check your audio.
The mic only listens while you're talking with Artie — never in the background.