Voice In Canada Flash Briefing #458

Hey there, it’s Teri Fisher here with your flash briefing for May 22nd. And today, I want to give you a little bit of food for thought. I recently came across an article and it’s called, “Why letting Alexa spy on everything you say could be good for your health”, and this was published on the IT World Canada website.

And, this is particularly coming on the heels of some flash briefings that I’ve done about privacy, and the recent podcast I talked about privacy settings. And, this article quotes and has some information that dives into some of the research that somebody by the name of Doctor Poppy Crum is doing.

She’s a chief scientist at Dolby Laboratories, and she’s a neuroscientist. And what’s very interesting, is that Alexa literally could be good for your health, if we are allowing Alexa to listen to us throughout the day.

So how does that work? Well, when we speak, there are certain parameters in our speech that are more subtle than just the words that we say. For example, Alexa could theoretically detect changes in the speed of my speech.

In the intonation, it could detect changes in the cadence, the tone, the fluidity, and so on.

Alexa could theoretically detect changes in the speed of my speech.

Is Alexa Good for Your Health

And how does that help? Well, what’s very interesting is we’re finding more and more, that the way we speak is reflective of our health.

There are certain companies that have done studies that show a correlation between the way people speak, and the risks of coronary artery disease, and even more so, between the way somebody speaks if they have congestive heart failure, and the risk of actually dying.

And so, if we allow Alexa in the future to listen to what we’re saying, Alexa theoretically could start to detect changes in our speech, that might be an indication of emotional problems, perhaps depression, anxiety, it could be watching or listening for changes in our actual cognition.

Things such as Dementia, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s. These are all things that I believe are going to be identifiable through speech technology and voice technology. Fascinating stuff.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this, send me a message on Twitter @DrTeriFisher, and I’d love to hear what you have to say about this. Alright, take care.

Useful Resources

Listen on your Echo Device! Easy as 1-2-3!

Voice in Canada Skill Logo1. Open your Alexa app and click on the Menu button > Settings > Flash Briefing.
2. Click on “Add Content” and search for “Voice in Canada”.
3. Click on “Voice in Canada” and the Enable button.

Alexa, what are my flash briefings?

Alexa, what’s in the news?

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