AI speech-to-text can hallucinate violent language

The frequency of pauses in speech affects the likelihood of hallucinations in OpenAI's Whisper system. Researchers have found that speech-to-text tools, like Whisper, are more likely to hallucinate when analyzing speech from people who speak with longer pauses between their words, such as those with speech impairments. In their analysis, researchers ran more than 13,000 speech clips into Whisper and found that roughly 1% of Whisper's audio transcriptions contained entirely hallucinated phrases. The study suggests that longer pauses and silences between words are more likely to trigger harmful hallucinations.

The potential consequences of using AI-transcribed documents in sensitive settings such as courtrooms, medical records, or hiring processes can be significant due to the risk of hallucinations, which refers to the AI making up or fabricating information. This can lead to several issues:

1. Inaccurate Information: AI may generate violent language, fake personal information, or fabricated websites, leading to incorrect data in crucial documents. This can impact the credibility of the information used in decision-making processes.

2. Bias and Discrimination: If the AI model has biases, it could potentially affect the hiring process, leading to unfair decisions. In medical records, it could lead to misdiagnosis or incorrect treatment plans.

3. Privacy Concerns: The use of AI transcription technology raises concerns about data privacy. If sensitive information is not adequately protected, it could be misused or fall into the wrong hands, leading to potential privacy breaches.

4. Legal Implications: In courtrooms, inaccuracies in transcriptions could affect the outcome of cases, leading to miscarriages of justice.

5. Reputational Damage: Incorrect or biased information in these sensitive settings could harm the reputation of individuals or organizations involved.

Therefore, it's crucial to ensure that the AI transcription technology used in these settings is reliable, accurate, and secure to avoid such potential consequences.