In a significant move toward advancing inclusivity in technology, Howard University and Google Research have unveiled a new dataset designed to enhance how automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems serve Black users. The collaboration, part of Project Elevate Black Voices, involved researchers traveling nationwide to document the unique dialects, accents, and speech patterns commonly found in Black communities, features often misinterpreted or ignored by current AI systems.
The project spotlights African American English (AAE)—also known as African American Vernacular English, Black English, Ebonics, or simply “Black talk”—a culturally rich and historically rooted linguistic form.… Read more