Speech Technology Predictions for 2006

Speech Technologies are currently saving companies hundreds of thousands of dollars in telemarketing centers. Their artificial intelligent enabled systems can answer a wide variety of questions of consumers and customers, often allowing the patron to receive the desired information without ever talking to a live operator. The industry for such is quite competitive and many niches have been cut out where small start-up companies have excelled. Speech Technologies have also become much more robust for personal tech items such as in-car GPS systems, PDAs, cell phones, digital recorders and voice activated word processing. Communicating with devices, computers and systems in natural language helps jump the barriers between man and machine. The military is also a big buyer and user of speech technologies to command and control helicopters, tanks, weapon systems, aircraft and computer systems in the new net-centric battlespace.

Speech Technologies are used to help in translations and real natural language where artificial intelligent systems help to put numerical values on levels of intensity, voice inflection, severity and need. This will help in surveillance, identification of threats and assignment of tasks to first responders when such systems become overwhelmed during emergencies.

Future Technologies are soon to be realized in predicting human intent, regional area dialect accents and determine the difference between a joke and a matter-of-fact based comment. Current projects with much promise include a computer system communicating with a human putting a manual into conversational terms and working a human thru trouble shooting during maintenance, repair and/or a crisis situation. The human computer interfaces of the robotic systems, personal technology devices and operation of expensive and complicated equipment will utilize Speech Technologies more and more. 2006 looks to be one of the most hyper-advancing years of Speech Technologies we have ever seen or "Heard!" Think on it.

Lance Winslow

Currently Lance is retired at age 40 and is running an Online Think Tank Forum while traveling North America. Perhaps considering something extremely challenging to do that will exercise his mind and utilize all his experiences, observations and skills. Any ideas?