MIT Sloan Management Review Article on AI Tools That Modify Speech Have Downsides

Speech technologies, such as those that soften accents and filter out emotions, can strip away vital vocal cues and hinder authentic communication.

At the annual TED Conference earlier this year, the room fell silent for the demonstration of a potentially groundbreaking technology: a “cone of silence” tool, currently in development, designed to block out all surrounding noise so conversation partners can hear only each other’s voices. While many of us in attendance were impressed by the simulated “quiet table” in a busy restaurant, I could only wonder how much of each speaker’s voice might be lost along the way.

This isn’t the only technology “cleaning up” sound involving human speech. Artificial intelligence applications are being developed to soften call center workers’ accents to boost sales, an idea critics have called dehumanizing. Other technologies are reducing tones of anger from upset callers, in an effort to make the experience of call center workers less difficult.

About the Author

Pamela Meyer is CEO of Calibrate, a deception detection and inside threat mitigation consulting firm. Her TED Talk “How to Spot a Liar” is one of the 20 most popular of all time.

Learn more about MIT SMR.