Microsoft AI released MAI-Transcribe-2 on Thursday, according to VentureBeat, positioning the model as a lower-cost speech-recognition option in a market that includes OpenAI, Google and ElevenLabs. The reported headline number is pricing: VentureBeat says Microsoft AI set MAI-Transcribe-2 at 10 cents per hour of audio. The company also says the model is faster and more accurate than competing products currently sold by OpenAI, Google and ElevenLabs, though that performance comparison is based on Microsoft AI’s claim as summarized by VentureBeat. The provided reporting does not include benchmark details, language coverage, availability limits, application programming interface terms, or enterprise deployment specifics. That makes the launch notable primarily for the stated price point and Microsoft AI’s competitive framing, rather than for independently verified performance data. Who benefits: Customers processing large volumes of audio could benefit if the reported price applies to their workloads. Microsoft AI benefits from a clear pricing hook against named competitors. Who's exposed: Competing transcription providers named in the report — OpenAI, Google and ElevenLabs — face a more direct price comparison if Microsoft AI’s offering is generally available at the reported rate.