A study by the University of Oslo reveals significant differences in brain responses to AI and human voices, highlighting implications for technology and ethics. Findings suggest distinct neural reactions to AI and human voices despite difficulty in identification, with future research focusing on personality traits’ impact on voice differentiation.
Research Highlights Brain Activity Differences in Response to AI and Human Voices
A study by the University of Oslo reveals that people often struggle to distinguish between human and AI-generated voices, with implications for technology and ethics. Conducted by doctoral researcher Christine Skjegstad and Professor Sascha Frühholz, the study will be presented on June 25, 2024, at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum.
Study Details
The research involved 43 participants who listened to voices expressing various emotions and attempted to identify them as human or AI-generated. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to monitor brain activity. Participants could correctly identify human voices 56% of the time and AI voices 50.5% of the time. Neutral AI voices were more frequently recognized as AI (75%) compared to neutral human voices (23%). Happy human voices were most often correctly identified (78%).
Brain Response Observations
Human voices activated brain areas associated with memory and empathy, while AI voices triggered regions linked to error detection and attention regulation. These findings suggest distinct neural responses to human and AI voices, despite the difficulty in distinguishing them.
Future Directions
Researchers plan to further explore how personality traits affect the ability to differentiate between human and AI voices. The study’s outcomes could influence policies and ethical guidelines for AI voice technology.
Expert Opinion
Professor Richard Roche emphasized the study’s importance, noting the potential cognitive and social implications of advanced AI voices and their uses in various applications, including providing voice replacements and mental health therapies.
