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System Recognizes Emotions In People's Voices
cylonlover writes "Automated telephone services may get slightly less annoying thanks to research being carried out at Spain's Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and Universidad de Granada. A team of scientists from those institutions has created a computer system that is able to recognize the emotional state of a person speaking to it, so that it can alter its behavior to make things less stressful."
That could become the ultimate trolling device!
Why not start out with the less stressful option, just saying...
Caller: Oh it's another damn machine.
IVR: Do not take that tone, please, sir or madam.
Caller: WHAT tone?
IVR: Please remain calm, and speak clearly.
Caller: I AM CALM, DAMN IT!!!
Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
Please listen to the following staticy Muzak while you calm down. Your call is important to us!
just have the system scan for curse words. easier than detecting emotion, and probably more accurate to determine when people are hating the IVR.
Source: HAL: Look Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.
Shh.
... from the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation.
Sara
Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
If (person_calling)
connect_to(actual_human);
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
have a competent human answer the fucking phone.
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
Is this one of those "On this day in history..." stories? Because analyzing caller voice patterns for stress has been SOP for the big boys for years. A pretty common way to get out of the voice prompts and to a person who will likely be competent enough to help you is to swear profusely at the voice recognition system. You'll then often be passed to a senior CSR who can get shit done. The catch is that they're authorized to hang up on you more quickly than a regular rep if you continue to swear once they're on the line.
I guess the news here is that the existing technology is being used to present automated scripts tailored to the individual caller.
Given the widespread availability of the Internet, the telephone is really quite a useless device now, especially for business purposes.
When dealing with any business or institution, it is often much easier and much more effective to use a web app of some sort. These kind of apps work perfectly fine for most people, and they avoid a lot of the confusion and annoyance that can happen when having to use a telephone-based system. In the remote chance that the user needs to deal with a live person in realtime, there are many chat systems available that work just fine.
Spoken communication is a relic of the past. It is usually no faster than using a web app or other written communication, and most of the time is much slower and much more prone to inaccuracies creeping in. In the vast majority of cases, the phone shouldn't even be an option. If it is, it should merely be the last resort.
How about just using the low-stress behavior ALL the time?
Why not, I don't know, just run the "don't stress out the human" program from the beginning? Why wait until they're already pissed off?
Karma: pi (Mostly due to circular reasoning in posts).
Every time i call Charter Communications to talk about bogus charges that have been added to my bill, it's like they know automatically how pissed off i am.
The past couple times i hardly have to say anything other than "fuck" and they immediately transfer me over.
"Press 0 if it's relating to a new plan. Press 1 if it's..."
Fuck!
"We'll transfer you over to a representative."
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/04/02/10/1514248/curse-your-way-to-live-support
In the article, the researcher thought they'd have something done in around two years. This seems to be a different institution, but I guess it's nice that someone seems to have finally gotten it working.
First the machines were better than me at math.
Now the machines are better than me at emotions?
Actually, take that back. The VAX I used in college was probably better at reading emotion than me.
Talking to the disembodied voice: Not happy. Talking to a person who can help me: Happy.
Computer: "Sears tool desk, can I HELP you?"
Me: "Operator."
Computer: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand that. Did you say, screwdrivers?"
Me: "Salesman"
Computer: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand that. Did you say, salepaper?"
Me: "Cashier."
Computer: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand that. Did you say, chainsaw?"
Me: "NOW I want a chainsaw! I'm coming down there and #!*(%$!*%^(!"
Computer: "I understood that! Calling 911."
"He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere. " -- John Calvin, commenting on Genesis 1
Given the widespread availability of the Internet, the telephone is really quite a useless device now, especially for business purposes.
When dealing with any business or institution, it is often much easier and much more effective to use a web app of some sort. These kind of apps work perfectly fine for most people, and they avoid a lot of the confusion and annoyance that can happen when having to use a telephone-based system. In the remote chance that the user needs to deal with a live person in realtime, there are many chat systems available that work just fine.
Spoken communication is a relic of the past. It is usually no faster than using a web app or other written communication, and most of the time is much slower and much more prone to inaccuracies creeping in. In the vast majority of cases, the phone shouldn't even be an option. If it is, it should merely be the last resort.
If that were accurate, those giant call centers that companies employ in addition to their websites would go largely unused. Turns out, lots of folks prefer to talk to someone. Just because you don't does not mean that it's a "relic of the past". While I like to do business on the web, I will most definitely avoid shopping with a company if I can't find telephone contact information easily. Web stuff works great when things are going smoothly, but typically the moment you have a hiccup in the standard process, you need to get someone on the phone to fix it. IVRU's are just a way to waste your time while waiting to be helped, so I see this effort as a mostly empty gesture. As GP said, why not start out with the less stressful option in the first place.
Unless someone can make voice recognition actually works no amount of behavior altering is going to help. Maybe it's just me, but it doesn't seem like voice recognition software has come a whole lot farther than where it was when I first started playing with it over a decade ago.
giggity
yes, because all official websites are well designed, and provide many options outside the normal list that can tailor to the needs of every single user.
sometimes a second brain is needed in a transaction.
I believe these guys are already doing this..... www.emotico.co
Simply by recognizing a few words, this can be improved.
In particular "damnit" should be recognized.
"I said" is another tipoff.
but damnit is the biggie . . .
hawk
They put you through to someone who is obviously intellectually challenged but who can actually help you so you calm your *ss down and walk him through a typical user help desk session.
If you're dealing with someone who obviously is a doofus but a helpful doofus, you'd be surprised at how cooperative you get.
Wow. That's just sad.
Spoken communication will always be superior simply because there is no unfeeling lcd screen between you and your communication of your problem. I pity you, who would rather push buttons than communicate with another human being.
I intentionally do business with companies that don't employ long, painful, circular IVR. I simply won't do business with a site that doesn't have a phone number.
As you said, the web is great if you're trying to buy something. Beyond that, web interaction is mostly garbage. Many companies don't provide direct email support anymore. If they do, it usually takes 3 days to hear back because email is a nice... leisurely... game... of... ping... pong... that... they... answer... when... it's... convenient... for... them.
Those horrible IVR's are used to deflect you back to the web. Not because their web resources are better than their people, but because humans on the phone are an expensive and time consuming resource they don't want you to use.
So it really is a place to separate yourself from the rest. If I call your number and actually get a person that can fix problems, you're head and shoulders above your competition.
I get no respect - I'm getting too old. I called suicide prevention line and I got put on hold.
They already have the technology to help people when they get frustrated, it's called not making you jump through 10 different IVR menus to get to a live person.
A team of scientists from those institutions has created a computer system that is able to recognize the emotional state of a person speaking to it, so that it can alter its behavior to make things less stressful.
Following is the IVR(Interactive Voice Response)AKA Digital Phone menu for The State Mental Hospital Would you dare to call this mental hospital after you read/hear the phone options :) i doubt.
Hello and thank you for calling The State Mental Hospital.
Please select from the following options menu:
If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.
If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.
If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6.
If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want, stay on the line so we can trace your call.
If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be forwarded to the Mother Ship.
If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.
If you are manic-depressive, it doesn’t matter which number you press, nothing will make you happy anyway.
If you are dyslexic, press 9696969696969696.
If you are bipolar, please leave a message after the beep or before the beep or after the beep. Please wait for the beep.
If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.
If you have low self-esteem, please hang up our operators are too busy to talk with you.
If you are menopausal, put the gun down, hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry. You won’t be crazy forever.
If you are blonde, don’t press any buttons, you’ll just mess it up.
Real time speech analytics for call centers has existed for seven years. The better products came out of Israel, at least the first and second generation IP Telephony capable systems. Inflection based triggers have existed in traditional TDM systems for over twelve years, so not real sure why this specific article is so intriguing. Just about any high end inbound call center will use some form of inflection and emotion algorithmic processing, more so once you get into the arm pit of finance, collections.
The systems I manage process over 500 million calls per month, across multiple industries and pbx vendors. The majority of the volume is processed using Cisco and Interactive Intelligence products, with an assortment of one off custom solutions. Of that 500 million calls per month, over 30% of the calls have used some form of inflection and emotional detection within the last eight years.
*yawn* another slow news day?
When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail
Can it detect when I want to use numbers instead of speaking menu choices? I don't like standing around in public going, "service ... operator ... billing," and I really don't want to speak my credit card info in a public place. I'd rather just push buttons.
They'll have the automated system scold you for your poor attitude and abusive language when you get frustrated with it, and it'll disconnect you. Also, in the soon-to-come full-on authoritarian police state we'll be living in, it'll automatically report you to the local police department, who will come and arrest you for your antisocial behaviour.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
I cannot name a specific company, but I experimented with the phone system enough to know that if you curse 3 times on one, and raise your voice on the other, they will get you to a customer service agent quicker. Get in the habit of doing it and most companies will adopt it.
I can just see a sales-drone wired to a chair, getting peeved off and shouting at the consumer on the other side (has happened to me) and getting electrocuted for his efforts. That's now - if they use this system to monitor their sales-drones.
Sorry, "A mechanical apparatus to apply vaseline as needed" has already been patented.
Mimicking the response of understanding, to manipulate other's behavior.
You are in a twisty little maze of voice options, all alike.
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
They will be better than humans. They will know more, speak many languages, understand a huge range of contextual references, always be current, never act in a way that makes them seem rude, and even be charming. Most real humans will greatly prefer talking to them than to other humans. I'm not sure when, but some of us will live long enough to see it.
i'm afraid i can't let you do that dave...
My bank has been using a system like this for 5 years. I was offered two different services which did this while working for a large insurance company.
A quick google for voice stress analysis brings up tons of links.
Hope they get their funding though eh?..
And the new best actor Oscar goes to...
Or another brain is wasted explaining something for the fifteenth goddamn time. What we need is an IVR that can detect intelligence, to screen calls, and send the idiot callers to have their explanations performed by the lowest wage brains. "If you haven't been listening to options 1-9, press 10". Seriously, dignity of human interaction is sometimes overrated when it involves angry callers insisting on the irrational, at least from the service providers perspective.
Gently reply
Morse code rubbing on another person's body will always be superior simply because there is no unfeeling air between you and your communication of your problem. I pity you, who would rather talk to people than risk sexual harassment lawsuits in the pursuit of more personal communication.
which is totally what she said
where the emotion recognition system will say the caller hinted..
"FUCK YOU"
because this is very sophisticated software.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
The voice recognition systems employed on the typical automated phone service are horrendous. This quickly leads to frustration.
...
"Q: Would you like to: pay your bill, check your balance...
A: Pay my bill.
Q: Sorry I did not get that. Would you like to: pay your bill,
A: Pay my bill!
A:Sorry, I still did not get that. Let's try something else. Please enter your 27 digit personal code followed by your social security and take a few minutes commenting on modern issues in Middle East politics.
A: #$%^&*( &^ %$% ^&* &^% $# $%^&
Having a 'system' that detects if your voice is getting louder, i.e. more pissed off, is not the answer. The answer is to improve the actual voice recognition algorithms, if possible.
Why take two bottles into the shower when you can just Wash & Go?
I know what you mean, but she always thought I was saying "E I S H E I S H".
How about a portable version of this for people with Asperger's/autism/ASD, to help them recognize the social cues they don't ordinarily get?
Not everyone knows how to use the sea shells
Actually I agree with the previous poster to an extent. Good online chat systems and well-designed web apps can provide solutions to solved problems much more efficiently. Definitely better than an AUTOMATED phone service. In cases where you absolutely need to talk to a person, an automated phone system is not going to cut it - you choose the options until you get to a person.
Also I would add a condition and say that the web has the potential to be better than talking to a person over the phone in many contexts, however quite often whatever web system or the processes of those running it fall quite short of what they could be.
...security foil. Even if the Bad Guy has access to the one voice that'll open the vault, some sort of tonal recognition could be developed to recognise if a person - even if authorised - can't open the vault if the system detects any sort of duress.
Operation Guillotine is in effect.
sometimes a second brain is needed in a transaction.
Sometimes just the one would be nice.
Fnord.
How long until we have the emotional equivalent of autotune?
Fnord.
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aa
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Hello! My name Peggy, how help you?