IBM develops computerized voice that actually sounds human

If there's one thing that still grates our nerves, it's automated calling systems. Or, more specifically, the robotic beings that simply fail to understand our slang and incomprehensible rants. IBM's working hard and fast to change all that, with a team at the company's Thomas J Watson research division developing and patenting a computerized voice that can utter "um," "er" and "yes, we're dead serious." The sophisticated system adds in the minutiae that makes conversation believable to Earthlings, and it's even programmed to learn new nuances and react to phrases such as "shh." The technology has been difficulty coined "generating paralinguistic phenomena via markup in text-to-speech syntheses," and while exact end uses have yet to be discussed publicly, we can certainly imagine a brave new world of automated CSRs.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 2nd 2009 12:18PM]

I still heart microsoft sam

[SewerShark Posted Feb 2nd 2009 12:46PM]

Arsenal Gear anyone?

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 2nd 2009 11:35PM]

Does it also understand when I say F you? That would increase responsiveness when I'm talking to automated systems for phone companies.

[urandom Posted Feb 2nd 2009 1:33PM]

Is it better than AT&T's speech lab demo?

http://www.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 2nd 2009 4:21PM]

"I am afraid, Dave"

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 2nd 2009 2:39PM]

This should be unnerving in the near future- you get through a service support call, you really think you've gotten through to the person on the other side of the phone, then you detect something strange in one response- wait, am I talking to a human or not? What a customer service flub! The feeling of deception created by this possibility is sure to shove this genie back in the bottle for a little while longer.

[Honza Posted Feb 2nd 2009 3:06PM]

Actually, the guy in the photo is an IBM employee in R&D. Or rather, he was. You see, he's just taken a call from the robotic voice that he just helped to create, which has just told him he's being let-go, despite the better than expected earnings last year.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 2nd 2009 3:52PM]

Hey! For the record, that's a picture of me from an online video about speaking to sentient automated calling system. It's funny and should be watched immediately:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1H4JlJcIhc

PS. What would YOU say if a phone system started talking about "donkey balls?"

[Loonie Posted Feb 2nd 2009 4:21PM]

It's not that computer generated voices are getting better, it's just that spoken English is getting worse.

[Eternal Density Posted Feb 2nd 2009 5:09PM]

Hello, and again, welcome to the Aperture Science Computer Aided Enrichment Center. We hope your brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a pleasant one. Your specimen has been processed, and we are now ready to begin the test proper.

[looselycoupled Posted Feb 2nd 2009 6:08PM]

Yeah, thats just what we need, a computer CSR agent that picks up new words and phrases of speech from all the idiots across America that call in to bitch about their products/services..

[FILA Posted Feb 2nd 2009 9:13PM]

"Uh, Sir, would you like to suck my tits"
"What, wait, all I want to do is extend my warranty, but if you insist"

Cops slam in doorway, "Get your muthafuckin hands up" "You just been set up by the Po-Leece"

whatever, fuck it

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 3rd 2009 4:45AM]

"Ahem... errr... Excuse me... SHUSH! Thanks. Take the next, errr, left. Damn we've gone past it.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 3rd 2009 9:57AM]

This screenshot is from a short, fun vid showing off some of this technology that was developed at Carnegie Mellon. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTnyAg2Mho4