More Voice, Less Choice - The Rise of Voice Interfaces and the Decline of Open Source Voice

Explore the rise of voice interfaces and the decline of open source voice technology in this 45-minute conference talk from linux.conf.au. Delve into the estimated growth of voice assistants, their prevalence in various devices, and the renaissance of voice user interfaces due to advances in machine learning and embedded hardware. Examine the decline of traditional open source speech recognition and voice synthesis projects, and the fragmentation of the open source voice assistant community. Consider the implications of proprietary players dominating the market, potentially reinforcing digital divides and underserving the Global South. Learn about potential interventions to make voice technology more accessible, including supporting open source voice assistants, investing in low resource languages, and judiciously sharing voice data. Understand the barriers to achieving more accessible voice technology, such as data requirements, infrastructure challenges, and language differences. Gain insights into the current landscape of voice technology and discover ways to ensure a more inclusive future for voice interfaces.