Posted on 28th May, 2021

Can Voice Recognition Technology replace Human Typing?

With the advancements in technology, calculators were replaced by computers and computers are now getting replaced by mobiles. Many people including Baidu’s Andrew Ng think that voice recognition technology will replace human typing. Is this true?

Let’s find out in detail in this blog.

Computers have already defeated humans at chess. And now, in the ongoing war between humans and machines, human beings are yet to lose another battle – typing.

Reports from recent studies show that speech recognition technology has become so accurate and fast that it can produce texts faster than humans on the keyboard can. The study conducted by Stanford University, the University of Washington, and Baidu, the Chinese Internet giant rolled out conclusively that we will ditch human typing and go the way of voice recognition technology.

The study was conducted in English and Mandarin Chinese. Researchers pitted a Baidu program known as Deep Speech 2 against 32 people between the ages of 19 and 32. The individuals who participated in the study were asked to type on an iPhone and speak short phrases alternatingly. Phrases like “buckle up for safety” and “this person is a disaster”. Studies found that the speech recognition technology-powered software wrote 3 times faster.

Stanford computer scientist James Landay was surprised by the speed. Voice recognition still gets a bad reputation due to videos surfacing on the Internet about everyone’s beloved Siri facing problems answering easy questions.

The combined study did not test out query skills though. The study mainly focused on the software’s ability of typing spoken words. The error rate was 20.4% lower in English and 63.4% in Mandarin Chinese.

Back in the ‘90s, researchers found that voice recognition tools were clumsy and less accurate than keyboard typing. Also, slang and background noise would cause the software to malfunction.

Well, the good news is it has evolved a lot to the point it can be used to write faster than humans. The process of “deep learning” is helping supercomputers in data-churning more efficiently.

Last year, nearly 65% of smartphone users in the USA took help from voice assistants.

Many tech companies are gearing up for this revolutionary change and are hiring professionals well-versed in the field of “natural language processing”. It is easier to talk to your device while driving or cooking.

But the story doesn’t end here!

Stay tuned for more!

Let’s talk about the benefits of using voice recognition technology for typing.

Benefits of speech recognition technology

● You can save a lot of time by talking to your device rather than typing on it. Studies prove that humans speak faster than they type.
● It will increase productivity at home or work, and anywhere in between.
● Teachers, researchers, and professors can handle huge chunks of data in no time with the help of voice recognition software.
● Bloggers will find it easier to use voice-to-text functionality available on their computers and mobile devices.
● Recent studies show that voice recognition works three times faster than human typing.
● Sales and reporting professions will be benefited from the use of voice recognition software.

There are other factors to consider here, texting is not a natural process of communication. We don’t communicate through pen and paper. But you would ask why was printing invented?

Well, there was no other way to pass on information to future generations. Necessity is the mother of invention. Thus, printing was born.

Let’s talk about the jobs that will be created due to voice recognition technology.

Job prospects of voice recognition technology
We know that many are fearing that humans will be replaced by bots for typing jobs. but new jobs will also be created. Google and Amazon are looking for data engineers in the field of voice recognition technology.

AVA is looking for a Senior Data Scientist who will have a specialization in speech. Verizon is seeking a voice technology project manager for helping in bridging the gap between touch, tone, and speech-based call services.

This domain is a high-growth area. Many workers are paranoid that they will lose their jobs to robots but the study conducted by the joint efforts of Stanford University, the University of Washington, and Baidu did not indicate the efficacy of the technology to write out long paragraphs.

Conclusion
New developments in speech recognition technology and AI technology can make workers paranoid that robots will take away their jobs. I don’t fear it, I don’t think voice-to-text software can replace human typing as of now. Just like any other technology, there is a fear of human beings being replaced by robots. But, I will provide you with two reasons to support my theory.

#1. There is no doubt that speech recognition technology has progressed a lot. If you train the software properly, then you will be able to get many things done. But, this software will pose a problem if the user has a cold, or if the user is not well-versed in English since most of this software is available mainly in English. What about the non-English speakers? What about people with different accents?
#2. The second factor is the nature of the recordings that are submitted for typing. Crisp, single-speaker files are the preferred options for voice recognition software. But, most of the files are multi-speaker with each person having different dialects and accents. What about the hash and pound problem? What do you call this (#)? You may call it hash, your phone might know it as the pound, what would happen if you wanted a pound of potatoes for the hash?

With so much development and training to be invested in voice recognition technology, I don’t think many people would use them. At least not now.

In the future?

Yes, maybe!

Maybe after 10-20 years when humans will be too lazy to type they will use voice recognition technology.

If you’re into voice recognition technology or not, it is better to be prepared for the future.

That is why…

The experts at Futuristic Bug are gearing up for this revolution. If you want to integrate voice recognition technology into your system reach out to us without delay.

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