The Perils of Voice Recognition Technology

by Socrates on September 17, 2010

This is a hilarious 3min Scottish video about the perils of voice recognition technology. After watching it I just couldn’t stop laughing so I had to re-post it.

While it is dangerously funny it does raise some good questions about the cultural biases of voice recognition in particular and technology in general.

Technology is rarely neutral. It is a mirror that reflects its maker and our Human, Oh So Human species. As such it is loaded with most of our best and worst stereotypical presumptions, personal inclinations and cultural biases.

The only question is:

After the technological singularity, will the Artificial Intelligence voice recognition technology finally speak Scottish?

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Tagged as: Burnistoun, voice recognition

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  • Gene Racicot

    And then there are GPS devices for which one has the reverse problem. The Magellan that we have “knows” the all street names in North America and Mexico. It has a slight accent from somewheres, I know not where. One adapts to it but occassionally it is hilarious when it hits a name like “Esquimalt” or “Blenkensop”.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=894535105 Dan Densmore

    this is HILARIOUS

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Magda-Watts/100000767461237 Magda Watts

    vely funy charlie brown

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jennifer-Joan/560116952 Jennifer Joan

    Hilarious.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Gerry-Mackie/100000212074256 Gerry Mackie

    majike

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Gerry-Mackie/100000212074256 Gerry Mackie

    gerry like,s this vidio

  • http://www.facebook.com/val.boyko Val Boyko

    As a Scot living in the USA … I love this video!!! For all my American friends … feel free to ask for full translation! Thanks for posting this. cheers, Val

  • http://www.SingularitySymposium.com/ Socrates

    You are welcome Val,
    As a Canadian of Bulgarian origin I have a very notable Eastern European accent myself. So I know the feeling. The funny thing is that my wife, who was born and grew up in Canada but is a dual Canadian/American citizen, finds my accent easier to understand and always asks me translate for her from Irish, Scottish or cockney British English…

  • Graeme

    They did not realize that the there was no floor eleven. It was the Scot's brain not his tongue ! LOL

  • Barendwhide

    refreshing!

  • Bez H

    One of the funniest videos I've seen in a long time – great

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Heather-McCorkindale/100000140524775 Heather McCorkindale

    Very funny pure dead brillliant

  • Renabain324

    I enjoyed this video it gave me a good laugh.

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  • bob

    hilariuos

  • Cleverclogs_9

    lucky they never had a 9 mm im thinking ffs pmsl

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  • Dragorion

    There is only one thing missing… The eleventh floor … That lift only to floor 10

  • Ric Gilmerton

    as a sassenach living in exile north of the border, I had empathy with the lift, ya ken.

  • Coyotetricks

    Reminds me of the first time I met a fella who became a good friend and was from Glasgo. Spent the whole evning with him in a bar-did I mention he smoked a pipe?_ never understood three words in a row.

  • Aghavass

    am still laughing brilliant

  • Nanbee12

    A comical video..but let me tell you that I find it very easy to understand the Scottish accent…a hell of a lot easier than trying to decipher some of the slang of today!!

  • Charles yap

    I enjoyed this video gave me a good refreshing & laugh,speak cantonese-zan hai hao hao sieu! i like,****star.

  • Ghanes_T

    This was Awesome!!!!

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/QKJ6ADQIP6XMIFSJSSP3XB7AY4 Mae D

    this was brilliant gave us a good laugh,could feel their frustration ya ken

  • Sarah Milligan

    Been there, well not in that lift, but on the phone trying to speak “clearly” to some automated American in my beautiful Scottish accent but being told “I'm sorry but I didn't recognise that word” AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

  • http://www.scotsmansecurity.com Douglas

    I live this everyday as a Scot in North America. Between my iPhone, trying to learn French with Rosetta Stone and automated telephone systems – argh!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-Miller/1238509571 Jason Miller

    I'm from America and those voice recognition devices don't work great for us ether. I can be on the phone saying the same thing over and over and it will come back did you mean this. please say yes or no. I just start hitting 0 until an operator picks up. my cell phone has a navigation and it also does voice recognition and some times it spells the wrong street name and if i do it again saying what it said when it messed up it gets the street name i wanted the first time. It's funny the other day it wanted me to go the wrong way down a one way street.

  • jauze

    ELEVEN

  • Eric Burdiehouse

    gilmerton your surname ric or where u staying???

  • Naggie400

    so funny. thanks for making me laugh today. carol gibson orillia, ontario

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  • pure dead brill man

    Brill, what else can one say

  • Rewodnelg

    Thas…greaaaatt

  • Carlikiya

    im sorry could you please repeat that please type slowly and clearly

  • Jean

    My sides are aching from laughing

  • Aussie Bob

    Translation: 12

  • Elizabeth McEwan

    I cannae work oot what that sully luft wummun's problem wus. *shakes head*

    I do empathise with the two gentlemen … on my many visits to the USA, I've encountered plenty who can't understand my Australian accent. I can only imagine that a really broad Scots accent must sound like a foreign language to them.

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  • H. Ramsay

    Ah'm gonnae keep sayin it till it unnerestauns Scoattish. Aw right?
    Pure deid brilliant. I had tears running down my cheeks! Thanks for posting this.

    Helen in Dundas Ontario

  • http://www.SingularityWeblog.com/ Socrates

    You are most welcome Ramsay!

  • digi

    that was really just great

  • scary69

    that was the funniest thing ive seen in ages i really needed i laugh and man did i laugh rite fae the heart of central scotland i thank you.

  • soapy

    Have you tried the nintendo ds brain training thing? I am Scots, don’t think I’ve a strong accent but a few minutes trying to tell the bloody game it’s yellow or worse blue and get no response you do feel homicidal

  • D4newman

    wot ??

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