Kqeds Forum

When ChatGPT launched advanced voice mode last month – inserting accents and ‘umms’, even taking breaths – some users called it surreal. Humans have been trying to make synthesized voices sound more natural for nearly a century. We talk about why and look at the history and evolution of synthesized voices, from robots of film like HAL and C3PO to digital assistants like Alexa. Guests: Kyle Orland, senior gaming editor, Ars Technica Sarah A Bell, associate professor of digital media, Michigan Technological University; author, “Vox ex Machina: A Cultural History of Talking Machines"