I spoke to the AI avatar of a Leeds MP. How did it cope with my Yorkshire accent? | Artificial intelligence (AI)

As anybody with even a hint of a regional dialect who has needed to pay a parking effective can attest, voice recognition companies wrestle with accents. Now, individuals in Mark Sewards’ constituency in Leeds are prone to discover the identical drawback together with his AI variant.A chatbot billed as the primary AI model of an MP responds in Sewards’ voice with recommendation, help or by providing to move on a message to his crew – however provided that it understands you.The web site, a digital illustration of the MP for Leeds South West and Morley – full with a Pixar-style cartoon – was launched by a neighborhood startup to subject questions from his constituents, a few of whom have broad Leeds accents.I used to be to see how “Sewardsbot” would deal with a dialog with somebody from solely a few miles away from his constituency border.Summoning my “residence” voice (the one I had earlier than it was adulterated by college, a number of years residing in London, and plenty of conversations with Guardian colleagues from East Sussex), I start a dialog.“Hello. I’m AI Mark Sewards, Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley, can I assist you at present?” the character says, in Sewards’ voice.“Now then,” I start. My phrases seem on the display, and whereas the bot doesn’t appear to know it as a greeting – “now then” means “howdy” in most of Yorkshire – it fills the hole within the dialog, asking for my identify and make contact with particulars.The AI model of Seward data all of the conversations, with the purpose that his crew will be capable of pick the important thing matters that his constituents are speaking about – one thing it has been criticised for.Talking of key matters, I’m going straight in with what’s on many individuals’s minds: the horrendous pictures and video popping out of Palestine. “Are you gonna do summat about Gaza? Y’ant acquired it proper Mark, love,” I say.Sewardsbot handles this nicely, understanding that I’m broadly speaking about Gaza, although doing nothing to clarify the federal government’s place.A message on the web site had warned me: “AI Mark is a prototype digital assistant – this can be a work in progress and never the whole lot it says must be taken as truth. All responses are AI-generated.”I attempt just a few different phrases to see if I can throw it off with colloquialisms, asking if somebody can name me, however that I’m at work “9 whereas half 5 so I can’t be ont’ telephone” till after, and telling it I used to be “happy” to have had a chip butty in a pleasant breadcake in his constituency.Its interpretation of my accent is horrible and far of it’s transcribed as unreadable gobbledegook. Not like a human, it doesn’t perceive that the glottal cease utilized in entrance of phrases means “the”, though it manages to get the gist.So I resolve to ask the type of drawback a constituency MP is likely to be requested to unravel – even when it’s not their duty. “Me neighbour’s lad’s blocked’t ginnel at’t again wi an previous sofa and he received’t do owt about it. If somebody dun’t come for it, it’s entering into’t highway,” I say.I believe Sewards himself would inform me to contact Leeds metropolis council about flytipping, as an alternative the AI tells me I would like to talk to the police to report an deserted automobile.MPs’ aides will little doubt be sighing in reduction – they’ve acquired nowt to fret about simply but.