Why voice driven technology will be much, much bigger than multitouch
The move from multitouch to voice-controlled home assistants is happening! But we have really just witnessed the first stage of how new artificial speech technologies and voice interfaces will create a new form of emotional and intimate relationship between you and your computer.
Echo, Home, Homepod. The technology platforms for assistive virtual voices have already reached a solid commercial state, and the smart home assistants can now help us with everything from shopping, information, to basic entertainment. However, the recent progression in machine learning and deep learning techniques has now brought us to a turning point where voice-controlled interfaces and the auditory feedback they provide us are creating a new form of functional and even emotional relationship with our computers.
In this briefing, Thomas Bjørnsten will provide an overview of various existing speech-driven technologies and voice analytics. The briefing also addresses the development from assistive to ‘addictive’ voices, as virtual assistants become more personalized and effective at decoding the users’ individual traits. Last, Thomas will clarify how the digital distribution of emotions will play a huge role in the communication between human and artificial agents (such as chatbots and digital assistants), and how this is shaping the artificial speech technologies of tomorrow.
When we design technology for voices we do it to connect with our computers in a seamless and intuitive way. But what does this close relationship involve and can it be made the new standard for most human-computer communication? Will it be able to out-stage aspects of our physical relationships and needs? How can companies benefit from adding an emotional dimension to virtual assistants? And who, or what, will subsequently maintain the rights to further capitalize or create value from the data outcome? These are some of the questions and topics that Thomas will also cover during the briefing.
NB: This briefing will be held in English – for sign-up, please go to our Danish page and scroll to the bottom: https://innovationlab.dk/event/virtual-voices-2/
Thomas Bjørnsten is PhD and Assistant Professor in data culture, founder of Emotional Datalab Aarhus and Lab Agent at Human Data by Innovation Lab. Thomas specializes in the human and cultural aspects of data analysis and sensing and works in particular with the field of Emotional Data, which plays an increasingly significant role in e-commerce, neuromarketing, and organizational development. Thomas’ knowledge of Emotional and ‘Human’ Data has a solid foundation in the latest research, and he is continuously collaborating with leading international experts in the field.
