‘What are you tawking about?’ AI can’t understand NJ accents

“Hey Siri, where can I get some ‘CAWFEE?’”

Artificial Intelligence and voice recognition (for better or worse) is increasingly becoming part of our daily lives, but did you know that some accents are harder for it to understand than others?

Apparently, we in New Jersey are among the most challenging for AI to understand, according to a new study put out by a language learning platform called Guide2Fluency.

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It could be something as simple as your smartphone’s voice to text, or OpenAI’s ChatGPT, voice recognition has yet to master certain region’s accents.

The absolute worst accent for AI comprehend is a Southern twang:

The research found, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Southern accent was revealed as the least understood in the US - is it the use of the word ‘Ayuh’ that the technology doesn’t seem to get?
Have you ever asked your device to find the nearest yoger class?

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Number two would be the accent of our neighbors in New York:

New York City's accent was revealed as the second least misunderstood accent by AI across the country.
Imagine asking your virtual assistant to find the best "dawg" (dog) park in "Manhatt'n" (Manhattan), or to give you directions to "Toidy-toid and Toid" (Thirty-third and Third).

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The Garden State is the third hardest accent for AI to understand.

As Guide2Fluency put it:

New Jersey’s accent, close to New York City’s, is the third most misunderstood. Navigating to "Joisey Shore" (Jersey Shore) or finding a good "wooder ice" (water ice) spot can leave AI baffled.
Common phrases like "down the shore" or the local "toozdee" (Tuesday) weather forecast often don’t translate well.

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Okay… who is going to tell them that nobody from Jersey actually says “Joisey?” And frankly, I’m stunned that somehow the Boston accent is easier for AI to understand, how does Siri know what a “pahking garahge” is?!

So next time you’re using AI be extra careful if your command has to do with “cawfee” or “wooder.”

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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.
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Filed Under: Artificial intelligence