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Speculative Voicing

An ongoing investigation of sonic materiality in human and synthetic voice communication, especially in conjunction with AI and other emerging technologies...read more︎


Recent Works
PhD Thesis
Acoustic Ecology of an AI System
Polyphonic Embodiment(s)
Multiphonic Connections
Speculative Listening
Giving Voice to Synthetic Sonics

Sound and Music from Archived Futures: IRAN



Past Projects
What You Will Watch and Hear
Across the Sonic Border (Variations on 50Hz)
If Objects Could Speak...
A Voice for Radio
Where Speech Meets Sound
Sonic Fiction-Sonic Futures
Listening Futures
One Voice Performed Many


Mark

Acoustic Ecology of an AI System





2020        
        Acoustic Ecology of an AI System aims to provide a critique of how AI intends to be recognised through the sounding of synthesised voices used in conversational AI systems. Currently these synthesised voices aim to be recognised as human but are designed and illustrate very narrow portrayals of human beings. In particular they present harmful representations of women. This project takes research from Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler’s 2018 project Anatomy of an AI System that demonstrates the vast network of entangled non-renewable materials, data and human labour required for these conversational interactions to operate. The purpose of my project is to reattach disembodied, acousmatic synthesised voices to space, time and architecture, using designed acoustics and sound design. Here I illustrate the misguided representation and intended recognition of synthesised voices by instead highlighting the materiality and multiplicity of the actuality of these voices. I add richness and complexity to understandings of voice to provide other narrative possibilities, speculating on alternative ways to vocalise synthesised voices.



This work was presented as part of Research and Waves new online platform: Attune, alongside other works questioning 'Can words be neutral?'

You can experience the interactive audio and read the accompanying short essay here: https://attune.researchandwaves.net/acoustic-ecology-of-an-ai-system.html

Special thanks to Henrik Nieratschker
Preview:

Sample Audio Clips:
Source Audio Clip - Example of  of ‘Babble’, created by Google WaveNet

Manipulated ‘Babble’ Audio Clips

Mark