Housekeeping and Homework for 2019
It’s hard to imagine a more exciting year in the speech technology industry than 2018, but 2019 is shaping up to be even more dynamic. Whether we’re talking about new uses for analytics, increased adoption of virtual assistants, speech recognition working its way into more everyday devices, or voice biometrics becoming a part of security protocols, there’s no doubt we’ll have plenty to talk about for the year to come. In these pages we’ll dive deeper into each of these topics and much more, but this is just the beginning.
Let us not forget the conversation that dominates them all—artificial intelligence. AI is on the tip of everyone’s tongue in 2019—but not always in a good way. There are plenty of people who are still skeptical about this sometimes too-human technology and what it means for the workforce. We’ll be devoting a good portion of this year’s coverage to AI, including the ethical questions that surround it. (Check out the editorial calendar on our website if you want to know more.) As I am fond of saying, “Speech technology is where AI comes to life.” We’ll explore this idea for months to come.
But 2019 isn’t just going to be big for the speech technology industry; it’s going to be big for Speech Technology magazine as well. In the spring, not only will we be headed to the annual SpeechTEK conference in Washington, D.C., to see what the experts are talking about, but we’ll be letting the voice of the reader be heard through our People’s Choice Awards. Keep your eyes open for voting on our website in February.
And speaking of our website—we’ll be getting an upgrade to ours in 2019. Soon, the site will be easier to navigate, responsive, and in step with user expectations. We hope you’ll join us there to be a part of the ongoing conversation that happens outside of the pages of the print magazine. In the meantime, we’ve introduced a user group on our Facebook page. Join “Ask the Speech Tech Experts” to talk one-on-one with our contributors, vendors, and users (facebook.com/groups/speechtechexperts). Give us feedback. Ask us questions. Send us your ideas. Just make sure you’re there.
We know some of the exciting changes to come in 2019, but there are also surprises around the corner. The Speech Technology team looks forward to covering them for you. Send us a note, and let us know what topics are on your mind, and what you’d like us to cover.
Theresa Cramer is the editor of Speech Technology magazine. She can be reached at theresa.cramer@infotoday.com.
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