Cyborgian Chorus

Machine and human voices are becoming increasingly intertwined. Many people interact with machines that mimic human language and speech every day, and we have been thinking about the ways these conversations have evolved. What follows is our small collection of anecdotes on the topic.

On translating apps: We saw a person at a conference present their work with fluent but halting English, and later realized they were using a translating app that voiced English in the same halting pattern. 

On pitch correction: We saw a person post a video on a singing forum to prove they weren’t using pitch correction, and still have people argue against them in the comments. 

On speech generators: Stephen Hawking’s voice became such a part of his identity that he famously rejected more advanced synthesizers. 

On automated menus: Many people have a special voice for speaking to automated systems on the telephone. It’s always obvious to an observer when someone is talking to a menu.

On driving directions: In rally racing, each car has a driver and a navigator. The navigator has to give rapid, unambiguous turn instructions. It’s very much like being an advanced version of navigational software.

This is exactly the kind of cyborg relationship that inspired the name of our organization.  The connection between these anecdotes is that listening to machines speak and sing has impacted the way we speak and sing, and the way we hear. Machine voices have joined the chorus of human experience.