{"id":652625,"date":"2025-02-07T17:45:36","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T14:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/ai-misunderstands-some-peoples-words-more-than-others\/"},"modified":"2025-02-07T17:45:36","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T14:45:36","slug":"ai-misunderstands-some-peoples-words-more-than-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-misunderstands-some-peoples-words-more-than-others\/","title":{"rendered":"#AI misunderstands some people\u2019s words more than\u00a0others"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3500ecadbfe\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3500ecadbfe\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-misunderstands-some-peoples-words-more-than-others\/#Tin_ear\" >Tin ear<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-misunderstands-some-peoples-words-more-than-others\/#%E2%80%98Proper_English\" >\u2018Proper\u2019 English<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-misunderstands-some-peoples-words-more-than-others\/#Human_connection\" >Human connection<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The idea of a humanlike artificial intelligence assistant that you can speak with has been alive in many people\u2019s imaginations since the release of \u201cHer,\u201d Spike Jonze\u2019s 2013 film about a man who falls in love with a Siri-like AI named Samantha. Over the course of the film, the protagonist gr<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>les with the ways in which Samantha, real as she may seem, is not and never will be human.<\/p>\n<p>Twelve years on, this is no longer the stuff of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> fiction. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and digital assistants like Apple\u2019s Siri and Amazon\u2019s Alexa help people get driving directions, make grocery lists, and plenty else. But just like Samantha, automatic speech recognition systems still cannot do everything that a human listener can.<\/p>\n<p>You have probably had the frustrating experience of calling your bank or utility company and needing to repeat yourself so that the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2024\/11\/15\/minority-english-dialects-vulnerable-automatic-speech-recognition-inaccuracy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">digital customer service<\/a> bot on the other line can understand you. Maybe you\u2019ve dictated a note on your phone, only to spend time editing garbled words.<\/p>\n<p>Linguistics and computer science researchers have shown that these systems work worse for some people than for others. They tend to make more errors if you have a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145\/3379503.3403563\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">non-native<\/a> or a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/minnesota\/news\/ai-artificial-intelligence-accent-problems-minnesotan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">regional<\/a> accent, are <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.1915768117\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Black<\/a>, speak <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/applin\/amac066\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">in African American Vernacular English<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.48550\/arXiv.2403.05887\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">code-switch<\/a>, if you are a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.18653\/v1\/W17-1606\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">woman<\/a>, are <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.48550\/arXiv.2103.15122\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">old<\/a>, are too <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.48550\/arXiv.2103.15122\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">young<\/a> or have a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.21437\/Interspeech.2019-2993\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">speech impediment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tin_ear\"><\/span>Tin ear<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Unlike you or me, automatic speech recognition systems are not what researchers call \u201csympathetic listeners.\u201d Instead of trying to understand you by taking in other useful clues like intonation or facial gestures, they simply give up. Or they take a probabilistic guess, a move that can sometimes result in an error.<\/p>\n<p>As companies and public agencies increasingly adopt automatic speech recognition tools in order to cut costs, people have little choice but to interact with them. But the more that these systems come into use in critical fields, ranging from emergency <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/medialibrary\/assets\/videos\/23524\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">first responders<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/hospitals-ai-transcription-tools-hallucination\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">health care<\/a> to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/09588221.2022.2080230\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">education<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.48550\/arXiv.2405.13166\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">law<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.fsisyn.2024.100563\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">enforcement<\/a>, the more likely there will be grave consequences when they fail to recognize what people say.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine sometime in the near future you\u2019ve been hurt in a car crash. You dial 911 to call for help, but instead of being connected to a human dispatcher, you get a bot that\u2019s designed to weed out nonemergency calls. It takes you several rounds to be understood, wasting time and raising your anxiety level at the worst moment.<\/p>\n<p>What causes this kind of error to occur? Some of the inequalities that result from these systems are baked into the reams of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145\/3442188.3445922\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">linguistic data<\/a> that developers use to build <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/direct.mit.edu\/coli\/article\/50\/3\/1097\/121961\/Bias-and-Fairness-in-Large-Language-Models-A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">large language models<\/a>. Developers train artificial intelligence systems to understand and mimic human language by feeding them vast quantities of text and audio files containing real human speech. But whose speech are they feeding them?<\/p>\n<p>If a system scores high accuracy rates when speaking with affluent white Americans in their mid-30s, it is reasonable to guess that it was trained using plenty of audio recordings of people who fit this profile.<\/p>\n<p>With rigorous data collection from a diverse range of sources, AI developers could reduce these errors. But to build AI systems that can understand the infinite variations in human speech arising from things like <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.48550\/arXiv.2406.09855\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">gender<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/ulrichboser\/2024\/11\/25\/why-cant-automatic-speech-recognition-systems-understand-kids\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">age<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.stanford.edu\/stories\/2020\/03\/automated-speech-recognition-less-accurate-blacks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">race<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/2018\/08\/why-are-google-siri-and-alexa-so-bad-at-understanding-bilingual-accents-voice-assistants.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">first vs. second language<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.48550\/arXiv.2403.04445\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">socioeconomic status<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-3-031-21707-4_30\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ability<\/a> and plenty else, requires significant resources and time.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Proper_English\"><\/span>\u2018Proper\u2019 English<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For people who do not speak English \u2013 which is to say, most people around the world \u2013 the challenges are even greater. Most of the world\u2019s largest generative AI systems were built in English, and they work far better in English than in any other language. On paper, AI has lots of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@askiefer\/it-started-with-a-whisper-4090d26d95e4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">civic potential<\/a> for translation and increasing people\u2019s access to information in different languages, but for now, most languages have a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.mit.edu\/2021\/speech-recognition-uncommon-languages-1104\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">smaller digital footprint<\/a>, making it difficult for them to power large language models.<\/p>\n<p>Even within languages well-served by large language models, like <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-022-06673-y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">English<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.3390\/app14114734\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spanish<\/a>, your experience varies depending on which dialect of the language you speak.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, most speech recognition systems and generative AI chatbots reflect the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropology-news.org\/articles\/chatgpt-is-reinforcing-your-language-stereotypes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">linguistic biases<\/a> of the datasets they are trained on. They echo prescriptive, sometimes <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/chatgpt-threatens-language-diversity-more-needs-to-be-done-to-protect-our-differences-in-the-age-of-ai-198878\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">prejudiced notions<\/a> of \u201ccorrectness\u201d in speech.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, AI has been proven to \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/2024\/dec\/11\/ai-tone-shifting-tech-could-flatten-communication-apple-intelligence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">flatten<\/a>\u201d linguistic diversity. There are now AI startup companies that offer to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/tomato.ai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">erase the accents<\/a> of their users, drawing on the assumption that their primary clientele would be customer service providers with call centres in foreign countries like India or the Philippines. The offering perpetuates the notion that some accents are less valid than others.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Human_connection\"><\/span>Human connection<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>AI will presumably get better at processing language, accounting for variables like accents, code-switching and the like. In the US, public services are obligated under federal law to guarantee <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/crt\/fcs\/TitleVI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">equitable access<\/a> to services regardless of what language a person speaks. But it is not clear whether that alone will be enough incentive for the tech industry to move toward eliminating linguistic inequities.<\/p>\n<p>Many people might prefer to talk to a real person when asking questions about a bill or medical issue, or at least to have the ability to opt out of interacting with automated systems when seeking key services. That is not to say that miscommunication never happens in interpersonal communication, but when you speak to a real person, they are primed to be a sympathetic listener.<\/p>\n<p>With AI, at least for now, it either works or it doesn\u2019t. If the system can process what you say, you are good to go. If it cannot, the onus is on you to make yourself understood.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/239281\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/239281\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p><em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/roberto-rey-agudo-1529250\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Roberto Rey Agudo<\/a>, Research Assistant Professor of Spanish and Portuguese, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/dartmouth-college-1720\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dartmouth College<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/sorry-i-didnt-get-that-ai-misunderstands-some-peoples-words-more-than-others-239281\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/ai-misunderstands-some-peoples-words-more-than-others\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The idea of a humanlike artificial intelligence assistant that you can speak with has been alive in many people\u2019s imaginations since the release of \u201cHer,\u201d Spike Jonze\u2019s 2013 film about a man who falls in love with a Siri-like AI named Samantha. Over the course of the film, the protagonist grapples with the ways in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":652626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw-blurple?filter_last=1&fit=1280%2C640&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2025%2F02%2Fjason-rosewell-ASKeuOZqhYU-unsplash.jpg&signature=74681ea39b019ae4608657a6c23c8803","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-652625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=652625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652625\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/652626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=652625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=652625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=652625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}