AI helps woman speak in her own voice (and her own accent) 

Sarah Ezekiel needed a computer to speak, because of her motor neurone disease. Unfortunately, it meant she sounded like a robot. New AI technology has helped her take back her own voice.

Words:

• To diagnose something means to figure out what’s wrong, usually with health problems, like when a doctor tells you what illness you have.
• If you do something painstakingly, you do it really carefully and take your time to get every little detail right.
• A carer is someone who looks after another person who can’t fully take care of themselves.
• Posh means fancy or high-class, like expensive places, clothes, or the way someone speaks.
• Cockney is a strong London accent, especially from the East End.
• A sample is a small bit of something taken to test or check it.
• To fine-tune something means to make small changes to improve it or get it just right.
• A revelation is something surprising you find out that changes how you think about something or someone.
• An advocate is someone who strongly supports a cause or idea and speaks up for it, like standing up for animal rights or mental health awareness.
  

Video:

Warming up

1. You’re about to watch a video about how AI can improve the lives of people with disabilities. What do you already know about healthcare technology? Name examples of technology being used to improve people’s lives when they have an illness or disability.

2. The lady in this video lost her voice, but also her mobility. Imagine trying to communicate without your voice and hands. In what ways could you still communicate with others?

Questions about the video

Watch the video from 0:00-1:22.

3. Sarah has motor neurone disease. Name at least two examples from the video of how this affects her daily life.

4. Which of the following statements is not true? 

A: Sarah was diagnosed when she was pregnant.

B: Sarah got the computer that helps her speak in April 2000.

C: Sarah struggled to communicate with her carers before she had her computer.

D: Sarah’s children had never heard her real voice before. 

Watch the video from 01:22 to 02:17.

5. What does Sarah say about how much the new voice sounds like her old one?

6. Sarah used to feel self-conscious about her voice, before she was diagnosed. Why was this?

Watch the video from 02:17 to the end.

7. Which challenges did the engineers face when trying to recreate Sarah’s voice? Tick all the correct options.

A: They couldn’t find a VHS-player.

B: The sample was very old.

C: The sample was lost.

D: A baby was crying through the recording.

E: The sample was low quality.

8. What does Sarah’s son say is the best thing about her new voice?

Task

Option 1: Design a game that Sarah could play using her eye-tracking technology. Describe the idea for the game, the goal of the game or how to win, and how to play.

Option 2: Write a short diary entry for one of Sarah’s children on the day they heard her voice for the first time.

Van de makers van All Right!, Of Course! en Taalblokken Engels