Project description

We are at the beginning of a paradigm shift, from written to voice-mediated input and output, in human-computer-interactions. These changes hold promise for democratic inclusion of people with reading difficulties, but also calls for critical studies of control, design, perception, and experience of digital voices including an understanding of the subtle layers of nonverbal communication like gender, age, moods, emotions, authenticity, trust, etc.

Iben Have's AIAS-SHAPE-project explores how text-to-speech (TTS) technology and synthetic voices influence the website-communication between Danish public authorities and citizens and which democratic implications this imply. A qualitative user-study will be conducted alongside the development of a theoretical framework revolving around the concept ‘resonant citizen’ as an attentive, and responsive listener with a sympathetic approach to other peoples’ voices, wishes, and ideas. However, being a citizen in a democracy necessitates not only responsivity and resonance, but also ethical responsibility and reasonance. Consequently, listening to (synthetic) voices will be discussed not as passive perception but as (political) agency with ethical implications. The empirical study will also include a podcast production developed together with Videnslyd exploring the experience of different synthetic voices.

Short bio

I am associate professor at School of Communication and Culture, Department of Media and Journalism Studies, Aarhus University, and Ph.D in Musicology. My area of research is interdisciplinary between sound studies, musicology, media and communication studies. I have published books and articles on mediated sound (voices, soundscapes, music, sound-design, etc.), audio media, audiovisual media, written media, digital reading, and phenomena such as ‘quietude’ and ‘pauses’.