Continued Thoughts on Human Captioning vs Artificial Speech Recognition (ASR) / Artificial Intelligence (AI)
So today I thought to myself, I wonder what ChatGPT itself says about the subject? So I asked it: “What are the advantages of Human Captioning over Automatic Speech Recognition?” And this is what I got back -- I’m sure a compilation of findings by search engine spiders.
"Title: An Essay on the Advantages of Human Captioning over Automatic Speech Recognition
"Introduction: In today's fast-paced world, communication plays a pivotal role in connecting people from diverse backgrounds. With the advent of technology, automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems have emerged as a popular tool for converting spoken language into written text. However, despite their convenience, human captioning remains superior to ASR due to its accuracy, adaptability, and ability to capture contextual nuances. 1. Accuracy: Human captioning surpasses ASR in terms of accuracy. While ASR systems have made significant advancements, they still struggle with accurately transcribing speech, especially in cases of accents, dialects, or background noise. On the other hand, human captioners possess the ability to understand and interpret various speech patterns, ensuring precise and error-free captions. This accuracy is crucial, particularly in professional settings such as conferences, legal proceedings, or educational environments, where even minor inaccuracies can lead to misunderstandings or misinterpretations. 2. Adaptability: Human captioning offers unparalleled adaptability compared to ASR. ASR systems rely on pre-programmed algorithms, making them less flexible in handling unique situations or specialized vocabulary. In contrast, human captioners possess the cognitive ability to adapt to different contexts, jargon, or technical terms, ensuring accurate and contextually appropriate captions. This adaptability is particularly valuable in domains such as medical or legal fields, where precise terminology is essential for effective communication. 3. Contextual Nuances: Human captioning excels in capturing contextual nuances that ASR systems often miss. Language is not solely about words; it encompasses tone, emotions, sarcasm, and other non-verbal cues. Human captioners possess the ability to understand and interpret these subtleties, resulting in captions that accurately reflect the speaker's intended meaning. ASR systems, lacking human intuition, struggle to capture these nuances, leading to potential misinterpretations or misunderstandings. Human captioning, therefore, ensures a more comprehensive and accurate representation of the spoken content. 4. Quality Control: Human captioning provides an inherent quality control mechanism that ASR systems lack. Human captioners can review and edit their work, ensuring the highest level of accuracy and clarity. They can correct any errors, adjust formatting, and ensure consistency throughout the captioning process. In contrast, ASR systems often lack the ability to self-correct, leading to potential inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the final output. The human element in captioning guarantees a higher standard of quality control.
THEN, from the BING ChatBot, when I asked the question, "Which is more accurate: human captioning or automatic speech recognition?" I got this reply:
"According to a blog post by 3PlayMedia, while neither AI nor human captioners can provide 100% accuracy, the most effective methods of live captioning incorporate both in order to get as close as possible. However, automatic captions are more readily available and less expensive (generated through popular meeting platforms like Zoom), their accuracy rates are notoriously low. Live automatic captions do not involve a human captioner and are written using artificial intelligence (AI) like ASR.
By comparison, live human captioning is significantly more accurate and reliable. The average Word Error Rate of a human transcriptionist is 4%; still more accurate than ASR and better able to account for context. Despite ASR’s ever improving accuracy, automatic speech recognition systems alone are not perfect and show there is still a need for human transcriptionist for the most reliable transcription or captions."
(Sources cited were three captioning companies: two AI and one post-production captioning company. )
Gayl Hardeman
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