Report: 29% of execs have observed AI bias in voice technologies

According to a new report by Speechmatics, more than a third of global industry experts reported that the COVID-19 pandemic affected their voice tech strategy, down from 53% in 2021. This shows that companies are finding ways around obstacles that seemed impassable less than two years ago.

The last two years have exacerbated the adoption of emerging technologies, as companies have leveraged them to support their dispersed workforces. Speech recognition is one that’s seen an uptick: over half of companies have successfully integrated voice tech into their business. However, more innovation is needed to help the technology reach its full potential.

Many were optimistic in their assumption that by 2022, the pandemic would be in the rearview mirror. And though executives are still navigating COVID-19 in their daily lives, the data indicates that they’ve perhaps found some semblance of normal from a business perspective. 

However, there are hurdles the industry must overcome before voice technology can reach its full potential. More than a third (38%) of respondents agreed that too many voices are not understood by the current state of voice recognition technology. What’s more, nearly a third of respondents have experienced AI bias, or imbalances in the types of voices that are understood by speech recognition. 

There are significant enhancements to be made to speech recognition technology in the coming years. Demand will only increase due to factors such as further developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for AI-powered customer services and chatbots, and more. But while it may be years until this technology can understand each and every voice, incremental strides are still being made in these early stages, and speech-to-text technology is on its way to realizing its full potential.

Speechmatics collated data points from C-suite, senior management, middle management, intermediate and entry-level professionals from a range of industries and use cases in Europe, North America, Africa, Australasia, Oceania, and Asia.

Read the full report by Speechmatics.