Hands-on with Ubuntu’s AI speech-to-text dictation feature

Ubuntu's upcoming 26.10 release will include Myna, an AI-powered speech-to-text dictation feature that lets users dictate into any text field, with a new GNOME Shell extension providing an on-screen indicator when it is listening. The feature is still in development but is being integrated into default installs as the release enters its freeze phase.

AI-powered voice typing is coming to Ubuntu in Myna, a speech-to-text feature that lets you talk into any valid text field. It’s still a work in progress, but I grabbed an early build to see how it’s shaping up. With Ubuntu 26.10 now entering its freeze, the user-facing pieces of myna are falling in to place. This week, a new GNOME Shell extension was added to default installs to provide an on-screen indicator when myna is listening and recording. To be clear: Myna is not a GNOME Shell extension. It’s an orchestrator that manages loading the AI model, listening for … You're reading Hands-on with Ubuntu’s AI speech-to-text dictation feature https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/08/testing-ubuntu-ai-voice-dictation , a blog post from OMG Ubuntu https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk . Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.