The Ubuntu project is experimenting with a new accessibility feature: speech-to-text.
“Speech-to-text is an important accessibility feature, but it’s also a useful productivity tool for anyone who finds it easier to speak than to type. Today I’m excited to introduce Project Myna, a new initiative that will bring speech-to-text dictation to the Ubuntu Desktop.” 
Named after the myna bird , known for its ability to mimic human speech, the project aims to bring a dictation experience to any desktop, while respecting user privacy and running entirely on local hardware.
“Speech recognition has become a common feature on modern platforms and we believe it should be a first-class experience on Ubuntu Desktop as well.”
The initial plan is for the speech-to-text conversion to only work when the user presses a shortcut key and to process all speech locally on the machine. This is done both to protect privacy and to avoid using network resources while the operation is performed.
A Discourse thread offers additional details.
Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.
