Speech recognition technology has been a game-changer in the AI industry, but many models still struggle to understand industry-specific jargon. Today, aiOla, an Israeli startup, announced a new approach that teaches speech recognition models to recognize and understand industry-specific vocabulary.
This development aims to improve the accuracy and responsiveness of speech recognition systems, especially in complex enterprise settings and challenging acoustic environments. By adapting OpenAI’s Whisper model with their technique, aiOla was able to reduce word error rates and enhance overall detection accuracy.
The problem of jargon in speech recognition has been a challenge for many organizations using advanced ASR models like Whisper. These models may struggle to perform well in real-world conditions where industry-specific terminology and jargon are prevalent.
To address this issue, aiOla introduced a two-step approach called “contextual biasing.” This method involves using a keyword spotting model to identify domain-specific jargon in speech samples and then prompting the ASR decoder to incorporate these keywords into the transcribed text. By doing so, the model becomes more adept at recognizing and understanding industry-specific terms.
In initial tests, aiOla’s approach significantly improved the performance of the Whisper model, achieving higher F1 scores and lower word error rates on various datasets, even in challenging environments. The startup’s adaptive model can work with different ASR models, allowing enterprises to create bespoke recognition systems without the need for extensive retraining.
By leveraging this technology, Fortune 500 enterprises have been able to streamline processes involving technical jargon, leading to significant time savings and increased efficiency. For example, a global shipping and logistics company reduced truck inspection times from 15 minutes to under 60 seconds per vehicle using aiOla’s automated workflow.
Overall, aiOla’s innovative approach to speech recognition has the potential to revolutionize how industries handle complex jargon and terminology. While the company is not currently providing API access to their adapted model, enterprises can access it through their subscription-based product suite. Through this technology, aiOla aims to empower businesses to improve their operations and productivity in jargon-heavy environments.
