Understanding the "voice of the machine"

What is it about?

Voice is a major characteristic of computer-based agents, interfaces, environments, and systems. Research on "the voice of the machine" goes back decades. Recent interest in voice assistants and smart speakers, especially thanks to advances in artificial intelligence (AI), have led to a surge in devices that rely on computer voice and their study. We surveyed the literature, covering 89 papers over 24 years. We mapped out the state of the art, especially in terms of voice characteristics, the effects of these characteristics on people, and the relationship between machine voice and body. We discovered evidence for a recent shift in interest on computer voice, which we call the "vocaloid line."

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Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash

Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Voice is increasingly becoming a major factor in people's with computer-based technologies. We must understand what features of computer voice are important, for whom, in what situations, and with what forms of technology. Our work brings together research from a plethora of disciplines, irrespective of the type of technology or machine or device or interface. We provide several ideas on what designers should consider when crafting vocal machines as well as what researchers should focus on next. In particular, we illuminate several voice and body intersections that remain under-explored industrially and academically.

Perspectives