The new technology is giving ALS patients like Ron Brady the chance to sound more like themselves.

Alexa Juliana Ard

Alexa Juliana Ard / The Washington Post

Alexa Juliana Ard is a videographer/producer/editor for Well+Being at The Washington Post. She was a video editor on The Post's foreign desk. Before joining The Post, she worked in McClatchy’s D.C. bureau as a national video producer for the company’s 30 U.S. newsrooms.

Well+Being

Ron Brady was 52 years old when he was diagnosed with ALS, which stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease that eventually causes most people to lose their ability to speak, walk or breathe.

Now, at 55, he can’t swallow food, and it’s getting harder to brush his teeth and put on clothes.<b> </b>He likes to crack jokes, but his speech is slurred to the point where few understand him.

That’s because he preserved his voice with a company called Voice Keeper, which is one of several companies using artificial intelligence to “bank” people’s voices while they are still able to speak and re-creates those voices for text-to-speech software.

Voice banking used to be expensive and time-consuming, but AI has made it more accessible to people with conditions that could impact their ability to speak, such as ALS, throat cancer, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease.

Patients say having a computer-generated voice that sounds like their real voice has given them a greater sense of confidence and connection to the world around them.

i think we can lose this. it's a lot of details and a bit off point. (I know I thought including Hawkings was a good idea, but not sure it works)

Previously, many of them would have relied on pre-programmed voices instead of recreating their own. Stephen Hawking’s famous robot voice was not actually his — it was the voice of Dennis Klatt, a researcher who pioneered computer-generated speech technology, also known as text-to-speech technology.

This graph seems a little out of place, and we can consider losing it.

The Washington Post

Brady’s synthetic voice isn’t a perfect match — his speech was already impaired when he recorded himself. But it has the same relaxed, deep tone, which he jokingly calls “suave.”

“My favorite thing to say is any corny dad comment that will make my wife or adult children laugh,” he said.

for caption in video, capitalize W in Whatever.
And so we said, 'Whatever it is for us, ...
Can we make other sentence a new one with capital B
But we're going to live every day to the fullest.
Can we cut the comma before the first "our story"? 
Can we lowercase d in disease in Lou Gehrig's disease?


To Brady, getting his voice back felt like getting parts of himself back: the school administrator who commanded a room with confidence, the gregarious, talkative father, and the first college graduate in his family, whose neutral American accent was very different from the Caribbean accent of his immigrant parents.

ALS is taking his voice. AI helped him save it.

Can we show any interactivity with Ron here?

A nurse opening a shelf filled with medications.

Parts of Brady's feeding tube on a kitchen countertop.

The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/04/musk-ai-letter-pause-robots-jobs/?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template" target="_blank">use of artificial intelligence</a> has<b> </b>driven a surge in voice banking, particularly among ALS patients. In 2017, Team Gleason Foundation, a nonprofit that funds voice banking for people with ALS, got 172 requests for the service. In 2022, it received more than 1,200 requests. In the United States, an average of 5,000 people are <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/als/WhatisALS.html?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template" target="_blank">diagnosed with ALS</a> each year.

Brady and his wife enjoy the sunset from their balcony. 

Capturing human speech is incredibly complex. Previously, a person might have to record 1,000 to 6,000 sentences to capture every possible sound in a language. The process typically took eight to 30 hours. Those recorded sounds then went into a database, and the software would rearrange the sounds to form words and phrases.

The method is known as unit selection, and the results were “choppy,” said Tim Bunnell, director of the Nemours Center for Pediatric Auditory and Speech Sciences.

“It’s intelligible, but it’s very jarring,” Bunnell said. “Our unit selection voices don’t sound as good as a human voice.”

His research laboratory has transitioned from older methods of speech synthesis to newer methods, such as those using artificial intelligence.

Computing power has significantly increased in recent decades, allowing computers to process vast amounts of information in a fraction of the time.

To stay under 2,000 we may want to cut this sentence 

How John Costello explained it: "you need just enough of a sample for a computer to use modern day AI technology to fill in the gaps"

To create a digital voice, AI software analyzes a person’s speech sample and then quickly scours a large database to find people speaking in similar ways. It finds patterns in how voices sound, and recreates a cloned voice to match its speaking style in a convincing manner.

How one company explained it: To create a digital voice, AI software analyzes first large quantity of data from several speakers to learn how to modelize speech in general then from that starting point, using a person’s voice samples, it can be fine tuned to that specific voice identity. It finds patterns in how voices sound, and recreates a digital voice to match its speaking style in a convincing manner.

creates a digital voice to match an individual speaker in a convincing manner.

made this change based John Costello's feedback- he said "speaking style" isn't accurate because style would include sarcasm, emotion, etc.

To create a digital voice, AI software analyzes a person’s speech sample and then quickly scours a large database to find people speaking in similar ways. It finds patterns in how voices sound and creates a digital voice to match an individual speaker.

Most companies now only need a few hundred sentences to get enough data. But some, like Acapela Group, which partners with Team Gleason Foundation, have algorithms that can build a voice from<b> </b>just 50 sentences.

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Language contains sounds of individual vowels and consonants, called phonemes.

This is an acoustic representation of the word “Bob.”

"The sound wave of 'Bob' is broken down into three phonemes, represented by three rectangular blocks. 

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		text-align:center !important;
		color:rgb(39,34,35) !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-02-medium .g-pstyle2 {
		text-align:center !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-02-xlarge {
		position:relative;
		overflow:hidden;
	}
	#g-scrolly-02-xlarge p {
		font-family:Franklin,FranklinITCStdLight,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif !important;
		font-weight:400 !important;
		font-size:24px !important;
		line-height:29px !important;
		filter:alpha(opacity=100) !important;
		-ms-filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=100) !important;
		opacity:1 !important;
		letter-spacing:0em !important;
		text-align:left !important;
		color:rgb(255,255,255) !important;
		text-transform:none !important;
		padding-bottom:0 !important;
		padding-top:0 !important;
		mix-blend-mode:normal !important;
		font-style:normal !important;
		height:auto !important;
		position:static !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-02-xlarge .g-pstyle0 {
		font-family:Franklin,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif !important;
		font-weight:700 !important;
		font-size:28px !important;
		line-height:34px !important;
		text-align:center !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-02-xlarge .g-pstyle1 {
		font-size:25px !important;
		line-height:30px !important;
		text-align:center !important;
		color:rgb(39,34,35) !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-02-xlarge .g-pstyle2 {
		text-align:center !important;
	}

	/* Custom CSS */
	.g-textshadow-black p {
    text-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgb(0 0 0 / 80%);
}
.g-textshadow-white p {
    text-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgb(255 255 255 / 80%);
}
.g-textshadow-grey p {
    text-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgb(192 192 192 / 80%);
}
.g-textoutline-white p {
    text-shadow: -1px -1px 0 #fff, 1px -1px 0 #fff, -1px 1px 0 #fff, 1px 1px 0 #fff;
}
.g-textoutline-black p {
    text-shadow: -1px -1px 0 #000, 1px -1px 0 #000, -1px 1px 0 #000, 1px 1px 0 #000;
}
.g-textoutline-grey p {
    text-shadow: -1px -1px 0 #c0c0c0, 1px -1px 0 #c0c0c0, -1px 1px 0 #c0c0c0, 1px 1px 0 #c0c0c0;
}

</style>

<div id="g-scrolly-02-box" class="ai2html">

	
	<div id="g-scrolly-02-xxsmall" class="g-artboard" style="width:304px; height:267.17348442333px;" data-aspect-ratio="1.138" data-min-width="260" data-max-width="383">
		<img id="g-scrolly-02-xxsmall-img" class="g-aiImg g-aiAbs" alt='"The sound wave of 'Bob' is broken down into three phonemes, represented by three rectangular blocks. ' data-src="https://gfx-data.news-engineering.aws.wapo.pub/ai2html/wb-voice-banking/PQSB4FZJRVDKDGDJL2CANU45JQ/scrolly-02-xxsmall.jpg?v=17" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhCgAKAIAAAB8fHwAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAKAAoAAAIIhI+py+0PYysAOw=="/>
		<div id="g-ai0-1" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:3.7429%;left:24.6977%;margin-left:-5.4276%;width:10.8553%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">B</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-2" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:3.7429%;left:61.064%;margin-left:-5.4276%;width:10.8553%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">o</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-3" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:3.7429%;left:86.2468%;margin-left:-5.4276%;width:10.8553%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-4" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:65.5005%;left:86.2326%;margin-left:-3.2895%;width:6.5789%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-5" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:65.5005%;left:61.0682%;margin-left:-4.9342%;width:9.8684%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">&#x251;</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-6" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:65.5005%;left:24.7019%;margin-left:-4.9342%;width:9.8684%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-7" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:79.7235%;left:24.5863%;margin-left:-14.6382%;width:29.2763%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">Phonemes</p>
		</div>
	</div>

	
	<div id="g-scrolly-02-xsmall" class="g-artboard" style="width:384px; height:366.97649087748px;" data-aspect-ratio="1.046" data-min-width="384" data-max-width="639">
		<img id="g-scrolly-02-xsmall-img" class="g-aiImg g-aiAbs" alt='"The sound wave of 'Bob' is broken down into three phonemes, represented by three rectangular blocks. ' data-src="https://gfx-data.news-engineering.aws.wapo.pub/ai2html/wb-voice-banking/PQSB4FZJRVDKDGDJL2CANU45JQ/scrolly-02-xsmall.jpg?v=17" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhCgAKAIAAAB8fHwAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAKAAoAAAIIhI+py+0PYysAOw=="/>
		<div id="g-ai1-1" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.8973%;left:26.0513%;margin-left:-5.3385%;width:10.6771%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">B</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai1-2" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.8973%;left:61.0555%;margin-left:-5.3385%;width:10.6771%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">o</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai1-3" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.8973%;left:85.5363%;margin-left:-5.3385%;width:10.6771%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai1-4" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.4918%;left:25.8943%;margin-left:-4.4271%;width:8.8542%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai1-5" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.4918%;left:61.4445%;margin-left:-4.4271%;width:8.8542%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">&#x251;</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai1-6" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.4918%;left:85.7491%;margin-left:-4.0365%;width:8.0729%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai1-7" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:78.4791%;left:25.8775%;margin-left:-9.5052%;width:19.0104%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">Phonemes</p>
		</div>
	</div>

	
	<div id="g-scrolly-02-medium" class="g-artboard" style="width:640px; height:524.8307230801px;" data-aspect-ratio="1.219" data-min-width="640" data-max-width="959">
		<img id="g-scrolly-02-medium-img" class="g-aiImg g-aiAbs" alt='"The sound wave of 'Bob' is broken down into three phonemes, represented by three rectangular blocks. ' data-src="https://gfx-data.news-engineering.aws.wapo.pub/ai2html/wb-voice-banking/PQSB4FZJRVDKDGDJL2CANU45JQ/scrolly-02-medium.jpg?v=17" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhCgAKAIAAAB8fHwAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAKAAoAAAIIhI+py+0PYysAOw=="/>
		<div id="g-ai2-1" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:17.5295%;left:24.5193%;margin-left:-5.3906%;width:10.7813%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">B</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai2-2" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:17.5295%;left:61.0644%;margin-left:-5.3906%;width:10.7813%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">o</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai2-3" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:17.5295%;left:85.3662%;margin-left:-5.3906%;width:10.7813%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai2-4" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:69.5462%;left:24.5261%;margin-left:-4.5312%;width:9.0625%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai2-5" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:69.5462%;left:61.0712%;margin-left:-4.5312%;width:9.0625%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">&#x251;</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai2-6" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:69.5462%;left:85.5833%;margin-left:-4.5312%;width:9.0625%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai2-7" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:83.4555%;left:24.5249%;margin-left:-8.8281%;width:17.6563%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">Phonemes</p>
		</div>
	</div>

	
	<div id="g-scrolly-02-xlarge" class="g-artboard" style="width:960px; height:583.79994209411px;" data-aspect-ratio="1.644" data-min-width="960">
		<img id="g-scrolly-02-xlarge-img" class="g-aiImg g-aiAbs" alt='"The sound wave of 'Bob' is broken down into three phonemes, represented by three rectangular blocks. ' data-src="https://gfx-data.news-engineering.aws.wapo.pub/ai2html/wb-voice-banking/PQSB4FZJRVDKDGDJL2CANU45JQ/scrolly-02-xlarge.jpg?v=17" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhCgAKAIAAAB8fHwAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAKAAoAAAIIhI+py+0PYysAOw=="/>
		<div id="g-ai3-1" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.7033%;left:28.2232%;margin-left:-4.6875%;width:9.375%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">B</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai3-2" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.7033%;left:59.6607%;margin-left:-4.6875%;width:9.375%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">o</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai3-3" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.7033%;left:81.4741%;margin-left:-4.6875%;width:9.375%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai3-4" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:72.6276%;left:28.2526%;margin-left:-3.9583%;width:7.9167%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai3-5" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:72.6276%;left:59.6901%;margin-left:-3.9583%;width:7.9167%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">&#x251;</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai3-6" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:72.7989%;left:81.5035%;margin-left:-3.9583%;width:7.9167%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai3-7" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:84.9606%;left:28.2452%;margin-left:-7.3437%;width:14.6875%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">Phonemes</p>
		</div>
	</div>

</div>



<style>
        #g-scrolly-02-xxsmall { display: none }
        @media (max-width: 383px) and (min-width: 260px) {
           #g-scrolly-02-xxsmall {
              display: block
           }
        }
    
        #g-scrolly-02-xsmall { display: none }
        @media (max-width: 639px) and (min-width: 384px) {
           #g-scrolly-02-xsmall {
              display: block
           }
        }
    
        #g-scrolly-02-medium { display: none }
        @media (max-width: 959px) and (min-width: 640px) {
           #g-scrolly-02-medium {
              display: block
           }
        }
    
        #g-scrolly-02-xlarge { display: none }
        @media (min-width: 960px) {
           #g-scrolly-02-xlarge {
              display: block
           }
        }
    </style>
</div>

The word “Bob” has two “b” consonants and the vowel “o,” represented here by the phonetic symbol ɑ.

And the graphic also shows the transitional sound between the 'b' and the 'o' sounds, as well as between the 'o' and the 'b' sounds.

<div class="pg-graphic fallback-available" data-fallback-image-url="https://gfx-data.news-engineering.aws.wapo.pub/ai2html/wb-voice-banking/PQSB4FZJRVDKDGDJL2CANU45JQ/2300-scrolly-03.jpg?c=1681942006332">



<style type='text/css' media='screen,print'>
	#g-scrolly-03-box,
	#g-scrolly-03-box .g-artboard {
		margin:0 auto;
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	#g-scrolly-03-box p {
		margin:0;
	}
	.g-aiAbs {
		position:absolute;
	}
	.g-aiImg {
		display:block;
		width:100% !important;
	}
	.g-aiSymbol {
		position: absolute;
		box-sizing: border-box;
	}
	.g-aiPointText p { white-space: nowrap; }
	#g-scrolly-03-xxsmall {
		position:relative;
		overflow:hidden;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xxsmall p {
		font-family:Franklin,FranklinITCStdLight,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif !important;
		font-weight:400 !important;
		font-size:14px !important;
		line-height:17px !important;
		filter:alpha(opacity=100) !important;
		-ms-filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=100) !important;
		opacity:1 !important;
		letter-spacing:0em !important;
		text-align:left !important;
		color:rgb(255,255,255) !important;
		text-transform:none !important;
		padding-bottom:0 !important;
		padding-top:0 !important;
		mix-blend-mode:normal !important;
		font-style:normal !important;
		height:auto !important;
		position:static !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xxsmall .g-pstyle0 {
		font-family:Franklin,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif !important;
		font-weight:700 !important;
		font-size:18px !important;
		line-height:22px !important;
		text-align:center !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xxsmall .g-pstyle1 {
		text-align:center !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xxsmall .g-pstyle2 {
		text-align:center !important;
		color:rgb(0,0,0) !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xsmall {
		position:relative;
		overflow:hidden;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xsmall p {
		font-family:Franklin,FranklinITCStdLight,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif !important;
		font-weight:400 !important;
		font-size:14px !important;
		line-height:17px !important;
		filter:alpha(opacity=100) !important;
		-ms-filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=100) !important;
		opacity:1 !important;
		letter-spacing:0em !important;
		text-align:left !important;
		color:rgb(255,255,255) !important;
		text-transform:none !important;
		padding-bottom:0 !important;
		padding-top:0 !important;
		mix-blend-mode:normal !important;
		font-style:normal !important;
		height:auto !important;
		position:static !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xsmall .g-pstyle0 {
		font-family:Franklin,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif !important;
		font-weight:700 !important;
		font-size:20px !important;
		line-height:24px !important;
		text-align:center !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xsmall .g-pstyle1 {
		text-align:center !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xsmall .g-pstyle2 {
		text-align:center !important;
		color:rgb(39,34,35) !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-medium {
		position:relative;
		overflow:hidden;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-medium p {
		font-family:Franklin,FranklinITCStdLight,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif !important;
		font-weight:400 !important;
		font-size:18px !important;
		line-height:22px !important;
		filter:alpha(opacity=100) !important;
		-ms-filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=100) !important;
		opacity:1 !important;
		letter-spacing:0em !important;
		text-align:left !important;
		color:rgb(255,255,255) !important;
		text-transform:none !important;
		padding-bottom:0 !important;
		padding-top:0 !important;
		mix-blend-mode:normal !important;
		font-style:normal !important;
		height:auto !important;
		position:static !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-medium .g-pstyle0 {
		font-family:Franklin,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif !important;
		font-weight:700 !important;
		font-size:24px !important;
		line-height:29px !important;
		text-align:center !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-medium .g-pstyle1 {
		text-align:center !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-medium .g-pstyle2 {
		font-size:20px !important;
		line-height:24px !important;
		text-align:center !important;
		color:rgb(39,34,35) !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-medium .g-pstyle3 {
		font-size:20px !important;
		line-height:24px !important;
		text-align:center !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xlarge {
		position:relative;
		overflow:hidden;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xlarge p {
		font-family:Franklin,FranklinITCStdLight,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif !important;
		font-weight:400 !important;
		font-size:24px !important;
		line-height:29px !important;
		filter:alpha(opacity=100) !important;
		-ms-filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=100) !important;
		opacity:1 !important;
		letter-spacing:0em !important;
		text-align:left !important;
		color:rgb(255,255,255) !important;
		text-transform:none !important;
		padding-bottom:0 !important;
		padding-top:0 !important;
		mix-blend-mode:normal !important;
		font-style:normal !important;
		height:auto !important;
		position:static !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xlarge .g-pstyle0 {
		font-family:Franklin,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif !important;
		font-weight:700 !important;
		font-size:28px !important;
		line-height:34px !important;
		text-align:center !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xlarge .g-pstyle1 {
		text-align:center !important;
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	#g-scrolly-03-xlarge .g-pstyle2 {
		font-size:25px !important;
		line-height:30px !important;
		text-align:center !important;
		color:rgb(39,34,35) !important;
	}
	#g-scrolly-03-xlarge .g-pstyle3 {
		font-size:25px !important;
		line-height:30px !important;
		text-align:center !important;
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	/* Custom CSS */
	.g-textshadow-black p {
    text-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgb(0 0 0 / 80%);
}
.g-textshadow-white p {
    text-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgb(255 255 255 / 80%);
}
.g-textshadow-grey p {
    text-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgb(192 192 192 / 80%);
}
.g-textoutline-white p {
    text-shadow: -1px -1px 0 #fff, 1px -1px 0 #fff, -1px 1px 0 #fff, 1px 1px 0 #fff;
}
.g-textoutline-black p {
    text-shadow: -1px -1px 0 #000, 1px -1px 0 #000, -1px 1px 0 #000, 1px 1px 0 #000;
}
.g-textoutline-grey p {
    text-shadow: -1px -1px 0 #c0c0c0, 1px -1px 0 #c0c0c0, -1px 1px 0 #c0c0c0, 1px 1px 0 #c0c0c0;
}

</style>

<div id="g-scrolly-03-box" class="ai2html">

	
	<div id="g-scrolly-03-xxsmall" class="g-artboard" style="width:304px; height:267.17348442333px;" data-aspect-ratio="1.138" data-min-width="260" data-max-width="383">
		<img id="g-scrolly-03-xxsmall-img" class="g-aiImg g-aiAbs" alt="And the graphic also shows the transitional sound between the 'b' and the 'o' sounds, as well as between the 'o' and the 'b' sounds." data-src="https://gfx-data.news-engineering.aws.wapo.pub/ai2html/wb-voice-banking/PQSB4FZJRVDKDGDJL2CANU45JQ/scrolly-03-xxsmall.jpg?v=17" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhCgAKAIAAAB8fHwAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAKAAoAAAIIhI+py+0PYysAOw=="/>
		<div id="g-ai0-1" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:3.7429%;left:23.3819%;margin-left:-5.4276%;width:10.8553%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">B</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-2" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:3.7429%;left:61.064%;margin-left:-5.4276%;width:10.8553%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">o</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-3" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:3.7429%;left:88.2205%;margin-left:-5.4276%;width:10.8553%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-4" class="g-304 g-aiAbs" style="top:44.5403%;left:42.2417%;margin-left:-13.9803%;width:27.9605%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Diphones</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-5" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:65.5005%;left:88.2063%;margin-left:-3.2895%;width:6.5789%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-6" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:65.5005%;left:42.1412%;margin-left:-4.2763%;width:8.5526%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">ba</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-7" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:65.5005%;left:23.3861%;margin-left:-4.9342%;width:9.8684%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-8" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:65.5005%;left:79.6711%;margin-left:-4.1118%;width:8.2237%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">ab</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-9" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:65.5005%;left:61.0682%;margin-left:-4.9342%;width:9.8684%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">&#x251;</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai0-10" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:79.7235%;left:23.2705%;margin-left:-14.6382%;width:29.2763%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Phonemes</p>
		</div>
	</div>

	
	<div id="g-scrolly-03-xsmall" class="g-artboard" style="width:384px; height:366.97649087748px;" data-aspect-ratio="1.046" data-min-width="384" data-max-width="639">
		<img id="g-scrolly-03-xsmall-img" class="g-aiImg g-aiAbs" alt="And the graphic also shows the transitional sound between the 'b' and the 'o' sounds, as well as between the 'o' and the 'b' sounds." data-src="https://gfx-data.news-engineering.aws.wapo.pub/ai2html/wb-voice-banking/PQSB4FZJRVDKDGDJL2CANU45JQ/scrolly-03-xsmall.jpg?v=17" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhCgAKAIAAAB8fHwAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAKAAoAAAIIhI+py+0PYysAOw=="/>
		<div id="g-ai1-1" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.8973%;left:25.0097%;margin-left:-5.3385%;width:10.6771%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">B</p>
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		<div id="g-ai1-2" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.8973%;left:61.0555%;margin-left:-5.3385%;width:10.6771%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">o</p>
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		<div id="g-ai1-3" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.8973%;left:86.8384%;margin-left:-5.3385%;width:10.6771%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">b</p>
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		<div id="g-ai1-4" class="g-384 g-aiAbs" style="top:46.597%;left:42.3832%;margin-left:-10.1562%;width:20.3125%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Diphones</p>
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		<div id="g-ai1-5" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.4918%;left:79.0708%;margin-left:-2.6042%;width:5.2083%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">ab</p>
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		<div id="g-ai1-6" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.4918%;left:24.9538%;margin-left:-4.4271%;width:8.8542%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">b</p>
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		<div id="g-ai1-7" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.4918%;left:60.9997%;margin-left:-4.4271%;width:8.8542%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">&#x251;</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai1-8" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.4918%;left:86.7898%;margin-left:-4.0365%;width:8.0729%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">b</p>
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		<div id="g-ai1-9" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.7643%;left:42.1418%;margin-left:-2.6042%;width:5.2083%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">ba</p>
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		<div id="g-ai1-10" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:78.4791%;left:24.8358%;margin-left:-9.5052%;width:19.0104%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Phonemes</p>
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	</div>

	
	<div id="g-scrolly-03-medium" class="g-artboard" style="width:640px; height:524.8307230801px;" data-aspect-ratio="1.219" data-min-width="640" data-max-width="959">
		<img id="g-scrolly-03-medium-img" class="g-aiImg g-aiAbs" alt="And the graphic also shows the transitional sound between the 'b' and the 'o' sounds, as well as between the 'o' and the 'b' sounds." data-src="https://gfx-data.news-engineering.aws.wapo.pub/ai2html/wb-voice-banking/PQSB4FZJRVDKDGDJL2CANU45JQ/scrolly-03-medium.jpg?v=17" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhCgAKAIAAAB8fHwAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAKAAoAAAIIhI+py+0PYysAOw=="/>
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			<p class="g-pstyle0">b</p>
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		<div id="g-ai2-4" class="g-640 g-aiAbs" style="top:55.2559%;left:41.6318%;margin-left:-8.3594%;width:16.7188%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Diphones</p>
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		<div id="g-ai2-5" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:69.5462%;left:23.5886%;margin-left:-4.5312%;width:9.0625%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">b</p>
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		<div id="g-ai2-6" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:69.5462%;left:61.0712%;margin-left:-4.5312%;width:9.0625%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">&#x251;</p>
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		<div id="g-ai2-7" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:69.5462%;left:87.2481%;margin-left:-4.5312%;width:9.0625%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">b</p>
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		<div id="g-ai2-8" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:69.9273%;left:79.4235%;margin-left:-2.1875%;width:4.375%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle3">ab</p>
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		<div id="g-ai2-9" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:70.1178%;left:41.3458%;margin-left:-2.1875%;width:4.375%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle3">ba</p>
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		<div id="g-ai2-10" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:83.4555%;left:23.5874%;margin-left:-8.8281%;width:17.6563%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Phonemes</p>
		</div>
	</div>

	
	<div id="g-scrolly-03-xlarge" class="g-artboard" style="width:960px; height:583.79994209411px;" data-aspect-ratio="1.644" data-min-width="960">
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		<div id="g-ai3-1" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.7033%;left:27.8065%;margin-left:-4.6875%;width:9.375%;">
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		<div id="g-ai3-2" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.7033%;left:59.6607%;margin-left:-4.6875%;width:9.375%;">
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		<div id="g-ai3-3" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.7033%;left:82.4116%;margin-left:-4.6875%;width:9.375%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">b</p>
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		<div id="g-ai3-4" class="g-960 g-aiAbs" style="top:57.554%;left:42.9243%;margin-left:-7.3437%;width:14.6875%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Diphones</p>
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		<div id="g-ai3-5" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:72.7989%;left:27.8359%;margin-left:-3.9583%;width:7.9167%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">b</p>
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		<div id="g-ai3-6" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:72.7989%;left:42.7921%;margin-left:-3.9583%;width:7.9167%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle3">ba</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai3-7" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:72.7989%;left:59.6901%;margin-left:-3.9583%;width:7.9167%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">&#x251;</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai3-8" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:72.7989%;left:76.0632%;margin-left:-3.9583%;width:7.9167%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle3">ab</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai3-9" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:72.7989%;left:82.441%;margin-left:-3.9583%;width:7.9167%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">b</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai3-10" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:84.9606%;left:27.8285%;margin-left:-7.3437%;width:14.6875%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Phonemes</p>
		</div>
	</div>

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There are also transitions between those phonemes, called diphones.

The graphic shows the same things - phonemes and diphones - for the word "cot."

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	<div id="g-scrolly-04-xxsmall" class="g-artboard" style="width:304px; height:267.17348442333px;" data-aspect-ratio="1.138" data-min-width="260" data-max-width="383">
		<img id="g-scrolly-04-xxsmall-img" class="g-aiImg g-aiAbs" alt='The graphic shows the same things - phonemes and diphones - for the word "cot."' data-src="https://gfx-data.news-engineering.aws.wapo.pub/ai2html/wb-voice-banking/PQSB4FZJRVDKDGDJL2CANU45JQ/scrolly-04-xxsmall.jpg?v=17" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhCgAKAIAAAB8fHwAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAKAAoAAAIIhI+py+0PYysAOw=="/>
		<div id="g-ai0-1" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:3.7429%;left:23.3819%;margin-left:-5.4276%;width:10.8553%;">
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		<div id="g-ai0-2" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:3.7429%;left:61.064%;margin-left:-5.4276%;width:10.8553%;">
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			<p class="g-pstyle0">t</p>
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		<div id="g-ai0-4" class="g-304 g-aiAbs" style="top:44.5403%;left:79.8881%;margin-left:-13.9803%;width:27.9605%;">
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		<div id="g-ai0-5" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:65.5005%;left:88.2063%;margin-left:-3.2895%;width:6.5789%;">
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		<div id="g-ai0-6" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:65.5005%;left:42.1412%;margin-left:-4.2763%;width:8.5526%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">ka</p>
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		<div id="g-ai0-7" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:65.5005%;left:23.3861%;margin-left:-4.9342%;width:9.8684%;">
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	<div id="g-scrolly-04-xsmall" class="g-artboard" style="width:384px; height:366.97649087748px;" data-aspect-ratio="1.046" data-min-width="384" data-max-width="639">
		<img id="g-scrolly-04-xsmall-img" class="g-aiImg g-aiAbs" alt='The graphic shows the same things - phonemes and diphones - for the word "cot."' data-src="https://gfx-data.news-engineering.aws.wapo.pub/ai2html/wb-voice-banking/PQSB4FZJRVDKDGDJL2CANU45JQ/scrolly-04-xsmall.jpg?v=17" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhCgAKAIAAAB8fHwAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAKAAoAAAIIhI+py+0PYysAOw=="/>
		<div id="g-ai1-1" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.8973%;left:25.0097%;margin-left:-5.3385%;width:10.6771%;">
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		<div id="g-ai1-2" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.8973%;left:61.0555%;margin-left:-5.3385%;width:10.6771%;">
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		<div id="g-ai1-3" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:13.8973%;left:86.8384%;margin-left:-5.3385%;width:10.6771%;">
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		<div id="g-ai1-4" class="g-384 g-aiAbs" style="top:46.597%;left:79.0967%;margin-left:-10.1562%;width:20.3125%;">
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		<div id="g-ai1-5" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.4918%;left:79.0708%;margin-left:-2.6042%;width:5.2083%;">
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		<div id="g-ai1-6" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.4918%;left:24.9538%;margin-left:-4.4271%;width:8.8542%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">k</p>
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		<div id="g-ai1-7" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.4918%;left:60.9997%;margin-left:-4.4271%;width:8.8542%;">
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		<div id="g-ai1-8" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.4918%;left:86.7898%;margin-left:-4.0365%;width:8.0729%;">
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		<div id="g-ai1-9" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:63.7643%;left:42.1418%;margin-left:-2.6042%;width:5.2083%;">
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		<div id="g-ai1-10" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:78.4791%;left:24.8358%;margin-left:-9.5052%;width:19.0104%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Phonemes</p>
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	</div>

	
	<div id="g-scrolly-04-medium" class="g-artboard" style="width:640px; height:524.8307230801px;" data-aspect-ratio="1.219" data-min-width="640" data-max-width="959">
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		<div id="g-ai2-3" class="g-bob-text g-aiAbs" style="top:17.5295%;left:87.085%;margin-left:-5.3906%;width:10.7813%;">
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		<div id="g-ai2-4" class="g-640 g-aiAbs" style="top:55.2559%;left:79.1099%;margin-left:-8.3594%;width:16.7188%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Diphones</p>
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		<div id="g-ai2-5" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:69.5462%;left:23.5886%;margin-left:-4.5312%;width:9.0625%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">k</p>
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		<div id="g-ai2-6" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:69.5462%;left:61.0712%;margin-left:-4.5312%;width:9.0625%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">&#x251;</p>
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		<div id="g-ai2-7" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:69.5462%;left:87.0918%;margin-left:-4.5312%;width:9.0625%;">
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		<div id="g-ai2-8" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:69.9273%;left:79.4235%;margin-left:-2.1875%;width:4.375%;">
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		<div id="g-ai2-9" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:70.1178%;left:41.3458%;margin-left:-2.1875%;width:4.375%;">
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		<div id="g-ai2-10" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:83.4555%;left:23.5874%;margin-left:-8.8281%;width:17.6563%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Phonemes</p>
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	</div>

	
	<div id="g-scrolly-04-xlarge" class="g-artboard" style="width:960px; height:583.79994209411px;" data-aspect-ratio="1.644" data-min-width="960">
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		<div id="g-ai3-5" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:72.7989%;left:27.8359%;margin-left:-3.9583%;width:7.9167%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle2">k</p>
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		<div id="g-ai3-6" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:72.7989%;left:42.7921%;margin-left:-3.9583%;width:7.9167%;">
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			<p class="g-pstyle2">t</p>
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		<div id="g-ai3-10" class="g-db-text g-aiAbs" style="top:84.9606%;left:27.8285%;margin-left:-7.3437%;width:14.6875%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Phonemes</p>
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Diphones and phonemes are pulled from other words, like “cot,” and put in a database.

The word "cot" and the word "bob" are broken down into rectangular blocks that represent phonemes and diphones. These blocks are then sent to and stored in a database.

Companies then use this database of phonemes and diphones to create new words. Sounds from the words “Bob” and “cot” can form the word “bot.”

The graphic shows that the system extracts the rectangular blocks that represent phonemes and diphones to form a new word, bot. 

Unit selection can generate any word, but the technology makes people’s voices sound robotic because the separate parts of speech are cut up and pasted together.

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		<img id="g-ai-scrolly-01-xlarge-interactions-img" class="g-aiImg g-aiAbs" alt='The sound wave of the word, Bob' data-src="https://gfx-data.news-engineering.aws.wapo.pub/ai2html/wb-voice-banking/PQSB4FZJRVDKDGDJL2CANU45JQ/ai-scrolly-01-xlarge-interactions.svg?v=25" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhCgAKAIAAAB8fHwAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAKAAoAAAIIhI+py+0PYysAOw=="/>
		<div id="title" class="g-interactions g-aiAbs" style="top:4.2823%;left:49.9963%;margin-left:-24.7917%;width:49.5833%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle0">Here's how AI technology works</p>
		</div>
		<div id="g-ai3-2" class="g-Layer_13 g-aiAbs" style="top:18.8421%;left:49.9194%;margin-left:-3.6458%;width:7.2917%;">
			<p class="g-pstyle1">Bob</p>
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AI software can quickly analyze voice samples, and it uses algorithms that have been trained on a vast library of voices to spot patterns in what makes a voice unique. Even a simple word like “Bob” can be uttered differently by two people.

The graphic shows a white line that represents a scanner, scanning the sound wave from left to right. 

AI technology then re-creates a digital version of a person’s voice that mimics qualities like pitch, tone, resonance and accent.

The color of the sound wave of Bob turns from white to gradient gradually. 

The result is smoother and more cohesive.

Click below to hear the difference between “Bob,” a voice created using unit selection, vs. “Benjamin,” responding in a voice created with artificial intelligence:

The use of AI has also made voice banking more affordable. Acapela Group charged $3,000 when the company relied on unit selection, but with AI, the cost is now $999. Other companies offer the service for as low as $300. Voice banking is not covered by insurance, but most companies don’t charge people unless they start using<b> </b>their synthesized voices.

John M. Costello, who has worked with thousands of patients as the director of the Augmentative Communication Program at Boston Children’s Hospital,<b> </b>recommends patients work with a speech language pathologist to figure out which product best matches their capabilities and needs. He has noticed patients with realistic voices have more meaningful connections with loved ones.

“Personal voice is so important to our relationships,” he said. “There is a psychological response.”

I think "from her" is actually doing work here- if you cut it, it slightly changes the point of the study.

Research shows <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rspb.2010.0567?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template" target="_blank">hearing one’s mother’s voice</a> releases similar levels of oxytocin as getting a hug from her. Oxytocin is a social bonding hormone linked to lower levels of stress and anxiety. Another study found that self-agency is enhanced by <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09567976211068880?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template" target="_blank">hearing one’s own voice</a>.

The ease of the newer technology convinced Anna Paula Pereira Hülle Mateus, 51, of Lafayette, Calif., to try it. When she was diagnosed with ALS in July 2022, she was hesitant to spend her energy focusing on what she might lose. She changed her mind once a doctor told her that voice banking would take about an hour and could ensure she would always have her voice.

Freelance

Anna Paula Pereira Hülle Mateus and her daughters sitting on a couch. 

Michaela Vatcheva

Michaela Vatcheva for The Washington Post

“Now I’m very glad that I did it, because I feel that my speech is getting worse and worse,” she said.

I feel like we need to state this explicitly

But the company she used, Acapela Group, doesn’t offer the service in Portuguese, which is her native language. To offer voice banking in different languages, companies need to develop separate algorithms for each language.

The fact that Pereira Hülle Mateus couldn’t preserve her voice in Portuguese saddens her because her mother and many of her close family and friends only speak Portuguese.

In English, she sometimes struggles with finding words to express herself. But when she speaks Portuguese, her voice rises and falls like musical notes.

Pereira Hülle Mateus’s synthetic voice in English is a little flatter but still captures her distinct Brazilian accent.

However, she doesn’t plan to listen to her synthetic voice until the moment she needs to use it — which she hopes will never come.

Austin Meyer for The Washington Post

do we want to remind people here of what/who they are?

Each company has its own method for capturing speech, using different sentences and algorithms. So if someone banks their voice with one company, then loses the ability to speak, they could be stuck with that company, said Blair Casey, executive director of Team Gleason Foundation, the nonprofit that helps ALS patients.

 can use them with other companies in the future.

slight suggested reword here- what do you think? I'm trying to make sure this is clear for readers what we mean.

He has been pushing for companies to create a standardized set of phrases that can be used with any of their algorithms, so that customers can comparison shop. He’s also pushing companies to give customers their original recordings so they can use them with other companies in the future.

“If something better came out, wouldn’t you want to be able to try it?” he asked. “And if you don’t have access to those phrase sets, you can’t.”

Brian Wallach, 42, a prominent <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/01/14/brian-wallach-als-advocacy-527094?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template" target="_blank">ALS activist</a> and former federal prosecutor who lives in Illinois, was diagnosed with ALS when he was 37, the same day his youngest daughter came home from the hospital. Over the years, his voice has transformed from forceful and clear to mumbled murmurs.

When he played his synthetic voice for the first time to his family, it was so accurate his wife burst into tears, he said. Meanwhile, his youngest daughter, who had never heard his voice pre-ALS, asked, “Is that you, Daddy?”

“I said back to her, ‘It is. My voice has changed a lot, but this is what I used to sound like,’” he said.

Brian Wallach with his wife, Sandra Abrevaya, and their dog, Moon. 

for The Washington Post

Sam Paakkonen

Sam Paakkonen for The Washington Post

Although he likes his synthetic voice, it doesn’t pronounce his wife’s name, Sandra, correctly. The synthetic voice also can’t express the emotions he wants to convey when he talks to his two young daughters.

Typing what he wants to say with his synthetic voice is a slow process because the muscles in his hands have weakened.

Because of the technology’s limitations, Wallach tends to only use his synthetic voice when he is out in public, at a larger gathering with friends, or too tired to speak. His family is still mostly able to understand him.

Once ALS patients lose their ability to use their hands, they must <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/new-tool-allows-paralyzed-to-speak--using-their-eyes/2016/04/04/a1dc1d98-da50-11e5-925f-1d10062cc82d_story.html?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template" target="_blank">use their eyes to type</a> — slowing down conversation even further.

This was the case for Ruth Brunton, of Rogers, Ark. She was diagnosed with ALS in March 2021 and by Christmas that year, she lost her ability to speak.

She banked her voice immediately after her diagnosis, but the company she worked with used unit selection technology, the older technology that can sound choppy or more robotic. Though she spent about a month recording 3,000 sentences, she wasn’t happy with the final result.

So, she was stuck using a generic voice with an American accent from Microsoft called “Heather.” But the voice failed to capture her soft-spoken British accent from Ormskirk, England, which her husband jokingly called “posh” compared to his thick “scouse” accent from Liverpool.

This is what Ruth sounded like before she was diagnosed:

Ruth Brunton

But this is what “Heather” sounds like:

In the voice of “Heather,” Ruth, a pragmatic, strong-willed person who was once the CEO of a nonprofit that helped struggling families, started to retreat into a shell, said her husband, David Brunton. Their flirtatious banter stopped completely, and Ruth participated less in group conversations. Even saying “I love you” seemed to mean less in a voice that wasn’t her own.

“She was talking because she had to, not because she wanted to,” he said.

After six months, they tried again — Ruth was able to get her original recordings back and gave them to a different company that used AI technology. Upon hearing the new voice, both Ruth and David got emotional — it felt like a part of Ruth had come back.

As in, we spoke in an interview in December 2022 and this is what she said at that time. Did I word it correctly or do we need to change it to "Ruth said in an interview in December"?

an interview "in" December (right? not last?)

“I was taken aback how much it meant to me to have a voice that actually sounded like me,” Ruth said in an interview in December.

“It may sound silly, but having my own voice increased my self-confidence,” she added.

Suddenly, small things they took for granted before, like having quiet chats together before bed, or reading books to their five grandchildren, took on a new significance.

do all the play button text boxes have straight quotes (Ruth's)? Can we make them curly?

She spent Christmas 2022 with family and used her voice to share this holiday greeting.

we could say "got" or "fell sick with" but I also think "caught" is a verb commonly used with different illnesses. If we have style guidance on this, that might help us figure out what to say here.

Per style, caught is not correct. Can we say was diagnosed with covid, or got covid, or fell ill with covid? You catch the virus, not the disease.

 Her already limited breathing got even more difficult, and on Feb. 10, nine days before their 40th wedding anniversary, she passed away. David held her hand all night.

She passed away quietly and peacefully in her own home, which was all she ever wanted, on the morning of the 10th February 2023, which was just 9 days before our 40th wedding anniversary.  I sensed what was happening and spent the night before lying in bed next to her holding her hand all night. 

Shortly after Christmas, Ruth got covid. Her already limited breathing got even more difficult, and on the morning of Feb. 10, nine days before their 40th wedding anniversary, she passed away. David had held her hand all night.

“We’ve had two years of saying goodbye,” David said. “We agreed we were going to leave nothing unsaid.”

David Brunton standing and holding a dress of Ruth's by a lake.

September Dawn Bottoms

September Dawn Bottoms for The Washington Post

We don't know yet that Ruth is dead. Are we ok with showing pictures of David holding her clothes early?

Editing by Julie Vitkovskaya. Copy editing by Anne Kenderdine. Design and development by Garland Potts. Design editing by Christian Font. Graphics by Szu Yu Chen. Graphics editing by Manuel Canales. Videos by Alexa Juliana Ard, Austin Meyer and Sam Paakkonen. Video editing by Alexa Juliana Ard and Neeti Upadhye. Photo editing by Maya Valentine. Audio editing by Ariel Plotnick.

need to develop separate algorithms for each language, based on a large number of voice samples in that language

Acapela Group's comms guy recommended this: "say in order to offer voice banking in other languages, companies need to develop separate algorithms for each language."

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Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you’ve come to expect from the newsroom of The Post -- for your ears.

Post Reports: Sound. Informed.

Today on “Post Reports,” how artificial intelligence can re-create voices that may have otherwise been lost to disease.

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Artificial intelligence can re-create voices that may have otherwise been lost to disease

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