Machine listening is the use of computers to process and interpret audio inputs, which can be applied in various fields. It involves recognizing and processing sounds through algorithms and can be used for simple tasks like voice-activated software or more complex tasks like analyzing music or processing intelligence data. Researchers in this field work to improve machine listening tools and find new applications.
Machine listening is the processing of sounds through a computer in a way that mimics human signal processing. Computers can be programmed and trained to recognize and interpret a range of audio inputs. This technology can be applied in a wide variety of ways, from analyzing intelligence to studying music. Researchers in this field work at private companies, academic institutions and government agencies to improve machine listening tools and find new applications. It integrates elements of acoustics, electrical engineering, robotics, and signal processing.
To recognize sounds, computers must be able to hear and process them. They may use audio pickups to handle ambient noise or they may listen to recordings. Sounds can be run through algorithms to determine what they are and what to do with them. Computer responses can depend on their programming, training, and level of sophistication.
A simple example of machine listening can be seen with clappers and voice-activated software. Clappers allow people to turn circuits on and off with a clap that activates the base unit. Software that responds to voice commands may allow people to control it with their voice, which requires the ability to identify voice and interpret sounds. Such programs can use training to learn to recognize a specific speaker and deal with accents, changes in syntax, and other variations between speakers.
More complex automatic listening can be used in fields such as music, where researchers identify and study patterns. Forensic musicologists, for example, can compare and contrast music from different sources and can use automated listening in their work. They can determine if the music appears to have a common origin or has other characteristics of interest. This technology can also be used to study harmony and develop theories about how historical music might have sounded.
Intelligence analysis is also based on listening to the machine. Huge amounts of audio data in the form of telephone conversations, discussions in public spaces, and so on may need to be processed by intelligence agencies. Paying humans to hear all the audio and develop reports can be expensive, and bored listeners may miss out on important information. Automated listening can allow an agency to automatically process audio to extract data that needs close attention, based on keywords, accent tones in voices, and other parameters. Intelligence analysts can prioritize their work based on this automatic analysis to listen first to the audio that is most likely to be important.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
