Naturally, an artificial intelligence has been invented to address this problem, but in a way that’s potentially … problematic. You see, this AI works to change the accents of customer service representatives on phone calls to that of the caller’s region of origin. The technology is amazing, but should it exist?
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Posted by a TikToker known as Justin Jikan, the video creator goes on to describe this technology that replaces the native accents of call center employees with — at least so far — a white American dialect. It’s unclear exactly how the technology works, but it likely scans and analyzes audio inputs and modulates the sound waves produced to imitate that of, well, a white American dude. The TikToker is keen to point out how it’s kind of messed up that we can’t just be more patient as people with others who aren’t from where we live. Many of his viewers agree, but most are looking past the icky parts to what this technology could achieve — for good or ill. “So many more old people are going to get scammed,” one commenter said. “I worked at a call center and it’s true,” another said, “anything is possible if you sound white over the phone.” “I have mixed feelings,” another commenter said. “On one hand, it’s great, because sometimes the accent makes the whole process hard. But then it’s wrong to try and whitewash everyone.” And that’s exactly where we lie here. This will make corporate phone interactions so much easier for everyone, but couldn’t just more patience, education, and tolerance get us there just as well? Recommended for you
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