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Using new shortcode for special cases

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Sean Dockray 3 years ago
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content/topic/against-the-coming-world-of-listening-machines.md View File

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"Machine listening" is one common term for a fast-growing interdisciplinary field of science and engineering which uses audio signal processing and machine learning to "make sense" of sound and speech. [^Cella, Serizel, Ellis] Machine listening is what enables you to be "understood" by Siri and Alexa, to Shazam a song, and to interact with many audio-assistive technologies if you are blind or vision impaired [Alper]. As early as the 90s, the term was already being used in computer music to describe the analytic dimension of ['interactive music systems'](https://wp.nyu.edu/robert_rowe/text/interactive-music-systems-1993/chapter5/), whose behavior changes in response to live musical input.[^Rowe, Maier] It was also, of course, a cornerstone of the mass surveillance programs revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013: SPIRITFIRE's "speech-to-text keyword search and paired dialogue transcription"; EViTAP's "automated news monitoring"; VoiceRT's "ingestion", according to one NSA slide, of Iraqi voice data into voiceprints. Domestically, machine listening technologies underpin the vast databases of vocal biometrics now held by many [prison providers](https://theintercept.com/2019/01/30/prison-voice-prints-databases-securus/ "Prisons Across the U.S. Are Quietly Building Databases of Incarcerated People’s Voice Prints") and, for instance, the [Australian Tax Office](https://www.computerworld.com/article/3474235/the-ato-now-holds-the-voiceprints-of-one-in-seven-australians.html "The ATO now holds the voiceprints of one in seven Australians"). And they are quickly being integrated into infrastructures of development, security and policing.

![Automatic speech recognition](audio:static/audio/kathy-reid-intro-to-ASR.mp3),[^kathy_audio_1] transcription and translation - targeted key word detection [[i](https://theintercept.com/2015/05/05/nsa-speech-recognition-snowden-searchable-text/ "How the NSA Converts Spoken Words Into Searchable Text")] - vocal biometrics and audio fingerprinting [[i](https://www.nice.com/engage/real-time-technology/voice-biometrics/ "NICE leverages voice biometrics for safer and more secure customer authentication"), [ii](https://www.acrcloud.com/audio-fingerprinting/ "What Is Audio Fingerprinting?")] - speaker identification, differentiation, enumeration and location [[i](https://theintercept.com/2018/01/19/voice-recognition-technology-nsa/ "Finding Your Voice"), [ii](https://patents.google.com/patent/US20100235169A1/en "Google Speech differentiation Patent")] - personality and emotion recognition [[i](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86I3-VYIvAM "callAIser in action: Call Center agent gets desperate over angry customer")] - accent identification [[i](https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/17/14956532/germany-refugee-voice-analysis-dialect-speech-software "Germany to use voice analysis software to help determine where refugees come from")] - sound recognition - audio object recognition - audio scene analysis - intelligent audio analysis[^intelligent_audio_analysis] - audio event analysis - audio context awareness - music mood analysis - music identification - music playlist generation - audio synthesis - speech synthesis - musical synthesis - adversarial music [[i](https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.00126 "Real World Audio Adversary Against Wake-word Detection System")] - audio brand recognition - aggression detection [[i](https://www.soundintel.com/products/overview/aggression/ "Deterring and Preventing Assault") [ii](https://www.audeering.com/what-we-do/automotive/ "Cars take care of their passengers")] - depression detection - laughter detection - stress detection - distress detection - intoxication detection[[i](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3872081/ "Intoxicated Speech Detection: A Fusion Framework with Speaker-Normalized Hierarchical Functionals and GMM Supervectors")] - scream detection - lie detection - hoax detection[[i](https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12568084 "University of Southern Queensland gets $300k for hoax emergency call detection technology")] - gunshot detection - autism diagnosis - parkinson's diagnosis [[i](http://www.canaryspeech.com/ "Using voice to identify human conditions sooner.")] - covid diagnosis [[i](https://app.surveylex.com/surveys/5384d6d0-6499-11ea-bc3a-b32c3ca92036 "We are launching an initiative to collect your voices with a goal to be able to triage, screen and monitor COVID-19 virus.")] - machine fault diagnosis - psychosis diagnosis [[i](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190613104552.htm "The whisper of schizophrenia: Machine learning finds 'sound' words predict psychosis")] - bird sound identification [[i](https://voicebot.ai/2020/06/26/voice-match-is-for-the-birds-new-google-competition-seeks-avian-audio-ai/ "Voice Match is for the Birds")] - gender identification - ethnicity detection - age determination - voice likeability determination - risk assessment [[i](https://www.clearspeed.com/ "Clearspeed: Using the Power of Voice for Good")]...
![Automatic speech recognition](audio:static/audio/kathy-reid-intro-to-ASR.mp3),[^kathy_audio_1] transcription and translation -
targeted key word detection {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://theintercept.com/2015/05/05/nsa-speech-recognition-snowden-searchable-text/ "How the NSA Converts Spoken Words Into Searchable Text")]{{< /nosup >}} -
vocal biometrics and audio fingerprinting {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://www.nice.com/engage/real-time-technology/voice-biometrics/ "NICE leverages voice biometrics for safer and more secure customer authentication"), [ii](https://www.acrcloud.com/audio-fingerprinting/ "What Is Audio Fingerprinting?")]{{< /nosup >}} -
speaker identification, differentiation, enumeration and location {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://theintercept.com/2018/01/19/voice-recognition-technology-nsa/ "Finding Your Voice"), [ii](https://patents.google.com/patent/US20100235169A1/en "Google Speech differentiation Patent")]{{< /nosup >}} -
personality and emotion recognition {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86I3-VYIvAM "callAIser in action: Call Center agent gets desperate over angry customer")]{{< /nosup >}} -
accent identification {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/17/14956532/germany-refugee-voice-analysis-dialect-speech-software "Germany to use voice analysis software to help determine where refugees come from")]{{< /nosup >}} -
sound recognition -
audio object recognition -
audio scene analysis -
intelligent audio analysis[^intelligent_audio_analysis] -
audio event analysis -
audio context awareness -
music mood analysis -
music identification -
music playlist generation -
audio synthesis -
speech synthesis -
musical synthesis -
adversarial music {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.00126 "Real World Audio Adversary Against Wake-word Detection System")]{{< /nosup >}} -
audio brand recognition -
aggression detection {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://www.soundintel.com/products/overview/aggression/ "Deterring and Preventing Assault"), [ii](https://www.audeering.com/what-we-do/automotive/ "Cars take care of their passengers")]{{< /nosup >}} -
depression detection -
laughter detection -
stress detection -
distress detection -
intoxication detection {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3872081/ "Intoxicated Speech Detection: A Fusion Framework with Speaker-Normalized Hierarchical Functionals and GMM Supervectors")]{{< /nosup >}} -
scream detection -
lie detection -
hoax detection {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12568084 "University of Southern Queensland gets $300k for hoax emergency call detection technology")]{{< /nosup >}} -
gunshot detection -
autism diagnosis -
parkinson's diagnosis {{< nosup >}}[[i](http://www.canaryspeech.com/ "Using voice to identify human conditions sooner.")]{{< /nosup >}} -
covid diagnosis {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://app.surveylex.com/surveys/5384d6d0-6499-11ea-bc3a-b32c3ca92036 "We are launching an initiative to collect your voices with a goal to be able to triage, screen and monitor COVID-19 virus.")]{{< /nosup >}} -
machine fault diagnosis - psychosis diagnosis {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190613104552.htm "The whisper of schizophrenia: Machine learning finds 'sound' words predict psychosis")]{{< /nosup >}} -
bird sound identification {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://voicebot.ai/2020/06/26/voice-match-is-for-the-birds-new-google-competition-seeks-avian-audio-ai/ "Voice Match is for the Birds")]{{< /nosup >}} -
gender identification -
ethnicity detection -
age determination -
voice likeability determination -
risk assessment {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://www.clearspeed.com/ "Clearspeed: Using the Power of Voice for Good")]...{{< /nosup >}}

These applications are all either currently in use by states, corporations and other entities around the world, or under development. The list is obviously not exhaustive. Nor does it convey the real diversity of markets, cyberphysical and political contexts into which these applications are quickly embedding themselves:

Digital voice assistants - voice user interfaces - state and corporate surveillance [[i](https://paranoid.com/products "Paranoid Home. Data is forever. Get Paranoid.")] - profiling - border security - home security - pre-emptive policing - weapons systems - court systems [[i](https://verbit.ai/industries-legal/ "Revolutionizing Legal Transcription"), [ii](https://www.wired.com/story/star-witness-your-smart-speaker/ "Meet the Star Witness: Your Smart Speaker")] - hospital systems - call centre optimisation - disability services - grocery store wayfinding [[i](https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/27/business/amazon-fresh-first-grocery-store/index.html "Alexa, what aisle is the milk in?")] - ambient elderly monitoring [[i](https://get.cherryhome.ai/care/ "Cherry Home")] - baby monitoring - house arrest monitoring - ![human rights monitoring](audio:static/audio/intro-to-pulse-and-radio-content-analysis.mp3)[^andre_audio_1] - remote education - school security - remote diagnostics - biomonitoring and personalised health[[i](https://www.voiceome.org/ "The Voiceome Project")] - social distancing - music streaming - music education - composition [[i](https://disclaimer.org.au/contents/holly-herndon-and-mat-dryhurst-in-conversation-with-sean-dockray "Inhuman Intelligence")] - gaming - brand development - marketing [[i](https://www.veritonic.com/ "Veritonic The Sonic Truth")] - acoustic ecology - employee performance metrics - wearables - hearables - recruitment - banking - insurance - gender vocal training [[i](https://github.com/project-spectra "Project Spectra")]
Digital voice assistants -
voice user interfaces -
state and corporate surveillance {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://paranoid.com/products "Paranoid Home. Data is forever. Get Paranoid.")]{{< /nosup >}} -
profiling -
border security -
home security -
pre-emptive policing -
weapons systems -
court systems {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://verbit.ai/industries-legal/ "Revolutionizing Legal Transcription"), [ii](https://www.wired.com/story/star-witness-your-smart-speaker/ "Meet the Star Witness: Your Smart Speaker")]{{< /nosup >}} -
hospital systems -
call centre optimisation -
disability services -
grocery store wayfinding {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/27/business/amazon-fresh-first-grocery-store/index.html "Alexa, what aisle is the milk in?")]{{< /nosup >}} -
ambient elderly monitoring {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://get.cherryhome.ai/care/ "Cherry Home")]{{< /nosup >}} -
baby monitoring -
house arrest monitoring -
![human rights monitoring](audio:static/audio/intro-to-pulse-and-radio-content-analysis.mp3)[^andre_audio_1] -
remote education -
school security -
remote diagnostics -
biomonitoring and personalised health {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://www.voiceome.org/ "The Voiceome Project")]{{< /nosup >}} -
social distancing -
music streaming -
music education -
composition {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://disclaimer.org.au/contents/holly-herndon-and-mat-dryhurst-in-conversation-with-sean-dockray "Inhuman Intelligence")]{{< /nosup >}} -
gaming -
brand development -
marketing {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://www.veritonic.com/ "Veritonic The Sonic Truth")]{{< /nosup >}} -
acoustic ecology -
employee performance metrics -
wearables -
hearables -
recruitment -
banking -
insurance -
gender vocal training {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://github.com/project-spectra "Project Spectra")]{{< /nosup >}}

As with all forms of machine learning, questions of efficacy, access, privacy, bias, fairness and transparency arise with every use case. But machine listening also demands to be treated as an epistemic and political system in its own right, that increasingly enables, shapes and constrains basic human possibilities, that is making our auditory worlds knowable in new ways, to new institutions, according to new logics, and is remaking (sonic) life in the process.



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Most of us will experience machine listening as an interface. Say goodbye to spring-mounted keys and clicking mice, maybe soon even the quiet tap of fingers on capacitive glass. "Alexa," we command - or is it ask? - into an airy, expectant atmosphere. ![Touchlessness](audio:static/audio/andrejevic-on-touchlessness.mp3)[^andrejevic] refers first to this invisibility of interface, but it is also "social distancing", remote work, standing no less than 2m apart in a queue for toilet paper, and, in the case of corona voice diagnostics, the idea that computational systems might determine the presence of the virus from the sound of a person's speech or cough.

There's no evidence yet that such a thing is possible, but many organisations are trying, and they are thirsty for data [[i](https://voca.ai/corona-virus/ "Voca.ai and Carnegie Mellon University partner to enable fast diagnosis of COVID-19"), [ii](https://covid-19-sounds.org/en/ "COVID-19 Sounds App"), [iii](https://news.mit.edu/2020/signs-covid-19-may-be-hidden-speech-signals-0708 "Signs of Covid-19 may be hidden in speech signals"), [iv](https://coughvid.epfl.ch/ "Send us a recording of a cough sound and help research on COVID-19"), [v](https://www.voiceome.org/covid19/index.html "Use Voice to Fight COVID-19"), [vi](https://futurism.com/neoscope/app-claims-covid19-voice "This App Claims It Can Hear COVID-19 in Your Voice"), [vii](https://www.soniphi.com/ "Soniphi is developing a screening solution for COVID-19 that uses your voice. If you have recently tested positive we need your help")]. ["Donate your voice."](https://www.voiceome.org/covid19/index.html) "Hit record and read the following sentences while pinching your nose." "Press record and cough three times."
There's no evidence yet that such a thing is possible, but many organisations are trying and they are thirsty for data {{< nosup >}}[[i](https://voca.ai/corona-virus/ "Voca.ai and Carnegie Mellon University partner to enable fast diagnosis of COVID-19"), [ii](https://covid-19-sounds.org/en/ "COVID-19 Sounds App"), [iii](https://news.mit.edu/2020/signs-covid-19-may-be-hidden-speech-signals-0708 "Signs of Covid-19 may be hidden in speech signals"), [iv](https://coughvid.epfl.ch/ "Send us a recording of a cough sound and help research on COVID-19"), [v](https://www.voiceome.org/covid19/index.html "Use Voice to Fight COVID-19"), [vi](https://futurism.com/neoscope/app-claims-covid19-voice "This App Claims It Can Hear COVID-19 in Your Voice"), [vii](https://www.soniphi.com/ "Soniphi is developing a screening solution for COVID-19 that uses your voice. If you have recently tested positive we need your help")]{{< /nosup >}}. {{< nosup >}}["Donate your voice."](https://www.voiceome.org/covid19/index.html){{< /nosup >}} "Hit record and read the following sentences while pinching your nose." "Press record and cough three times."

{{< youtube f2aRCe-qvP4 >}}



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