(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
This is Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Larry Greenemeier.
(Booking haircut audio)
The person making the haircut appointment for her boss? She's not a person.
There's a trend rapidly developing in AI—have it do the things we don't want to do. Self-driving cars get a lot of attention in this arena. But Google recently demonstrated AI for more mundane tasks. Their system is called Google Duplex—it's a voice assistant designed to mimic the ways humans speak to one another.
(More haircut-appointment audio)
Amazon, Apple and other tech companies also make voice assistants, of course. What's new with Duplex is that it can carry on a conversation seemingly as a human being—that is, somewhat awkwardly. And that's the point of course—Google doesn't want Duplex to sound like a machine. In the hair salon example, the woman who answers the phone throws Duplex a curveball:
(More haircut appointment audio)
There is a point in the exchange where Duplex shows its true colors, though. Listen carefully and you'll hear a distinct difference between the AI's pronunciation of "10 A.M." and "12 P.M."
(Clip is played)
For just an instant, Duplex's mismatched tones remind you of being on hold with your bank. ("Your wait time is...10 minutes")
A second Duplex clip is a bit more impressive, because the person answering the phone doesn't seem to be fully paying attention. Duplex tells the woman three times that he wants to come by on Wednesday.
(Restaurant-reservation audio)
Duplex has a ways to go before it'll be ready to handle open-ended conversations on random topics. But one day you may be freed from all kinds of unpleasant vocal interactions. Leaving more time for unpleasant social media interactions.
Thanks for listening for Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Larry Greenemeier.
参考译文
这里是科学美国人——60秒科学
(理发预约音频)
这个人是在为她老板预约理发吗?其实她不是真人 。
人工智能领域有一个迅速发展的趋势,即让它做我们不想做的事 。其中无人驾驶汽车获得了广泛关注 。但是最近谷歌证明了人工智能可以做更单调的工作 。谷歌推出的系统名为Google Duple——这是模仿人类对话方式的语音助手 。
(更多理发预约音频)
当然,亚马逊、苹果及其他科技公司也推出了语音助手 。而Duplex的新颖之处在于,它可以像真人那样进行对话,这多少有点尴尬 。当然这也是谷歌语音助手的特点,谷歌不希望Duplex听起来像机器 。在美发沙龙的例子中,接电话的女性给Duplex出了个难题:
(更多理发预约音频)
对话中有一点需要注意,而这正是Duplex“原形毕露”的地方 。仔细听,你会听到人工智能在说“上午10点”和“下午12点”时有明显区别 。
(播放音频片段)
只是一瞬间,Duplex那不协调的语气会让你想起银行语音服务让你等待的声音 。(您的等待时间是……10分钟)
第二个Duplex对话音频让人印象更深刻,因为接电话的人听起来有些心不在焉 。Duplex对那名女性说了三次他想周三过去 。
(餐厅订位音频)
在应对随机话题的开放式对话方面,Duplex还有很长一段路要走 。但有一天你可能会从各种令人不快的语音互动中解脱出来 。从而留出更多时间应对不愉快的社交媒体互动 。
谢谢大家收听科学美国人——60秒科学 。我是拉里·格林迈耶 。
译文为可可英语翻译,未经授权请勿转载!
重点讲解
重点讲解:
1. one another 互相;
We all try and help one another.
我们都尽力互相帮助 。
2. carry on 举行;进行;开展;
We'll ca rry on a conversation with her tomorrow.
我们将于明天与她会谈 。
3. shows one's true colors 露出…的真面目;
I believe that he will show his true colors someday.
我相信他总有一天会现出原形的 。
4. remind sb. of sth./doing sth. 使想起;使记起;提醒;
You remind me of your father when you say that.
你说这样的话,使我想起了你的父亲 。