By Ashleigh Fields
Special to the AFRO
Howard University partnered with Google to release data tied to artificial intelligence (AI) speech recognition for people of color.
The university provided research on Black speech known as African American English (AAE) and African American Vernacular for the company’s automatic speech recognition technology through Project Elevate Black Voices.
Through the program, researchers traveled to different parts of the country to document dialects and diction used frequently in Black communities.
The school noted portions of the language are often negated in AI programs making it “more difficult” for many Black individuals to engage with the technology.
“African American English has been at the forefront of United States culture since almost the beginning of the country,” said Gloria Washington, Howard University researcher and co-principal investigator of Project Elevate Black Voices.
“Voice assistant technology should understand different dialects of all African American English to truly serve not just African Americans, but other persons who speak these unique dialects,” the computer science instructor added. “It’s about time that we provide the best experience for all users of these technologies.”
Over 600 hours of data was logged through Project Elevate Black Voices.
Google has lauded the effort as one that will aid them in providing equitable service to all communities.
“It’s our mission at Google to make technology that’s useful and accessible, and I truly believe that our work here will allow more users to express themselves authentically when using smart devices,” Courtney Heldreth, co-principal investigator at Google Research said in a press release.