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Spotify has patented a piece of tech which can monitor your speech and interpret it to establish emotions. As reported by Android Police, Spotify filed the patent about the possibility of having tech capable to interpret speech but details have only just come to light.
Spotify has made a number of smaller innovations to the platform over recent months but nothing as groundbreaking as this. Some of these additions have included the ability to set customer playlist covers.
Spotify has also begun work in implementing local playback support for Android users. This would allow users to store videos or audio via the Spotify app.
This prospect of Spotify being able to listen to your voice and gain information from it may raise alarm bells for many. However, the aim is to use this information to make its own recommendation algorithms better.
Spotify files patent for speech interpretation tech
Spotify believes that they can use this speech interpretation tech to determine people’s “emotional state, gender, age, or accent”. This would allow the app to make real time recommendations based on the user’s mood.
For example, if the tech could establish whether you were happy, sad or angry it could then made music recommendations accordingly to match your mood.
It is worth noting that as with any patent filing this could be nothing more than an experiment. There is no suggestion that this tech is anywhere close to coming to market or that it ever will.
The initial reaction is likely one of caution from users as it conjures up thoughts that Spotify is listening in on you. However, when given more thought it seems more like the natural progression of algorithmic recommendations.
Speech recognition technology is already around in more primitive forms. Expanding this to allow machines greater understanding has the potential to make communicating that bit easier.
Similar technology is likely under development with other big tech companies. It would be surprising if the likes of Apple, Google and Amazon have not got similar projects in the works for their home speakers.
As mentioned is hard to do little more than speculate about the possible applications of this technology with only the patent application to go on.
If any more information about this technology emerges rest assured we will be there to cover it. However, it is hard to see that happening any time soon. Especially given it would be such an undertaking and only the patent in place right now.