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AI VOICE FILTER CALMS ANGRY CALLER VOICES
A Japanese company has developed an artificial intelligence filter that can detect angry screams and transform them into calm speech, in order to reduce the stress experienced by customer service operators.
Large companies have long been aware of the stress their customer service operators are exposed to every single day, with many customers taking out their anger and frustrations on them.
Some companies have even introduced stress management programs that include relaxation techniques, meditation, yoga, and therapy meant relieve to irritability and anxiety.
However, one Japanese company may have come up with a much more efficient solution – using AI to completely take screaming and aggressive speech out of the equation.
SoftBank has spent three years creating a voice filter that detects screaming and automatically translates it into calm speech.
“We developed the emotion suppression system in response to the social problem of customer harassment of call center employees and to protect them,” said SoftBank’s Toshiyuki Nakatani, one of the developers of the innovative AI filter.
SoftBank’s voice filter consists of two stages: one stage in which the AI identifies an angry voice and extracts key points of speech and a second stage where it uses acoustic tools to transform the angry voice into a more natural, even polite tone. Interestingly, the filter does not change any of the words spoken by the shouting customer, but it significantly softens the tone. The call center operator will still hear any insults screamed, only in a soft tone, which should help reduce the operator’s stress and anxiety.
To train the AI, SoftBank’s engineers asked 10 actors to record at least 100 common phrases including screams, curses, threats, and demands for an apology. In total, more than 10,000 pieces of voice data were used to train the AI filter.
It is unclear when SoftBank plans to introduce the new scream-filtering AI into its service centers, but it will be interesting to see how well it works and how it affects the emotional well-being of operators.
Will being called rude names in the tone of a diplomat be less stressful than at full volume? We will just have to wait and see.
SOURCE: odditycentral.com
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