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Unlocking the secrets hidden inside your voice

Unlocking the secrets hidden inside your voice

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Verge Science explores what algorithms are able to learn from the way we speak

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Tweets, Facebook posts, and Instagram pics are easy to fake. Voice? Not so much — which is exactly why researchers see so much potential in using artificial intelligence to mine its secrets.

This week’s Verge Science video looks into the world of voice-analysis research. What can those sounds coming from our throats tell us about about our mental health? What about our personality traits?

We talk to a NYU psychiatrist about his efforts to find “vocal biomarkers” for post-traumatic stress disorder, and we learn about a new program called Companion that lets your phone track whether you’re getting depressed. Companies outside the mental health space are intrigued as well — and one even claims to be able to tell from voice whether you’ll default on a loan. All this raises tricky questions about privacy, especially as the growing popularity of smart home assistants means we get increasingly comfortable with talking to our devices. What revealing information are we giving away?

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