Microsoft’s new Windows 11 operating system has upgraded and extended some of its voice AI capabilities to improve its accessibility. Windows 11 includes several new, more natural voices for its Narrator text-to-speech AI, as well as full live captioning functionality for transcribing conversations in real time.
Storytelling and legends
The most notable new voice accessibility feature comes in the form of a collection of AI voice models for the Windows Narrator tool. Narrator acts as an AI-powered reader for anything onscreen, including websites, documents, and other text. The four new models have been designed to look more like a human being so they don’t become irritating or disorienting to listen to, making Windows easier to use for the visually impaired.
“As a screen reader user myself, I really understood the need to modify the voice of the narrator. Listening to that voice all day while working, reading an article or a book, or simply surfing the web from the sofa – it must be an enjoyable experience,” explained Narrator Product Manager Jeff Bishop. “To develop the new natural-sounding voices for Narrator – ‘Aria’, ‘Guy’ and ‘Jenny’ – we had to figure out what makes a voice “great” for a screen reader user. I spent a lot of time with our engineering team to improve the responsiveness and other characteristics of the voices, and we tested and gathered tons of feedback to make sure they met my needs as a user. and the needs of all screen reader users around the world.
The new Captioning feature works in reverse of the Narrator feature, turning spoken words into text. Once enabled, any conversation held through Windows is typed by an AI into a floating window at the top of the screen. According to Microsoft, other aspects of Windows 11’s voice AI are still in development. The system is running a beta test of a new voice access feature that would allow users to control their PC through voice commands. This includes rearranging text, controlling applications, and even moving a cursor without the need for a keyboard or mouse. Microsoft’s pursuit of better accessibility tools is part of the broader trend of tech companies using voice AI and related technology to make their devices more accessible, including recent editions of Amazon’s Fire tablets and Apple adding live captions to iPhones.
Follow @voicebotaiFollow @erichschwartz
OpenAI launches open-source “Whisper” transcription and translation AI
Amazon’s New Fire HD 8 Tablets Add “Tap Alexa” Buttons for Voice Assistant Tasks
Apple launches Siri Pause Time and iPhone Live Captions in list of new accessibility tools
