Post #2445139

2026-05-08 07:41 UTC

Every so often, someone writes an essay about how AI is inherently fascist and the standard reaction is &quot;sure, interesting, but perhaps a little much&quot;. Meanwhile corporations are now using algorithms to mask the accents of ESL speakers at call centres because god forbid someone hear an accent that&#39;s different from their own. https://mobilesyrup.com/2026/05/06/telus-digital-using-ai-to-mask-accents-of-offshore-workers/

Replies (3)

@darice@tech.lgbt 2026-05-08 08:09

RE: https://mastodon.social/@tommorris/116537826246951269 I have been living in the Netherlands for 25 years. I was born and raised in Aruba where our native language is Papiamento. Being part of the Dutch Kingdom means we had to learn Dutch early on (6 years old) and our education system is/was fully in Dutch. My end exams in high-school were the same Dutch kids in the Netherlands made. Also, not only do I speak/read Papiamento and Dutch. Also, Spanish and English. So, yes. I speak with a heavy accent (I have been told) becoming deaf later in life also made my accent heavier because I can't hear myself. I have been told a couple of times my Dutch isn't good, they don't understand what I'm saying and once in a while corrected during conversations. But, it's only recently I learned that it is not that I don't speak Dutch well (I do), people take offense on my accent. They mean: You don't speak Dutch like I do. This article brought this up again in my mind.

Open ##2616576
@notkoalas@iosdev.space 2026-05-08 13:33

@tommorris@mastodon.social Even besides how blatantly disgusting this is, it’s interesting as a heuristic. What’s implied, to me, is that customers understand when they’re interacting with outsourced, exploited workers. And their solution, of course, is to use AI to cover up this fact. Not the only thing at play here and I’m not saying everyone that’s ESL is exploited but offshoring is exploitation and so it applies here.

Open ##2616577
@Dtraslerwriting@mastodon.social 2026-05-08 19:12

@tommorris@mastodon.social When I heard about this, I did assume it's partly racism, but I ALSO assumed it was about fraud. because here in Canada there's been a fuss about companies like Rogers and Telus outsourcing their "Customer Service" to India and other countries because it's cheaper for them. If you mask the fact the person is from another country, you're pretending you spend more on customer Service WHILE STILL SAVING MONEY AND PROVIDING A SHITTY SERVICE. Double win for the company.

Open ##2616578