The Open Voice Network: Three Thoughts for February from the Executive Director
Open Voice Interoperability Initiative
Conversational AI worthy of trust
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Don't miss these upcoming events and publications from the Open Voice Network.
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To view the Open Voice Network's full meeting calendar,?visit our website.
Thanks for taking a few moments to read our February newsletter.
I'd like to share a few thoughts on the industry, along with three words that have shaped our thinking in recent weeks.
But before doing so, let me share this:
This 15 February, in Seattle, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will convene an invitation-only half-day symposium on Voice Technology. Thirty participants from leading technology firms, universities, and advisory organizations.
In this elite gathering will be?Oita Coleman of the Open Voice Network.
And not only as a participant. Oita has been asked to lead a discussion on the ethics of voice, with a focus on issues of transparency and consent.
A great honor. Congratulations, Oita!
First Word:?Accountability
I once took some university classes in advertising writing. I left with few writing skills, but with great respect for the power of language – in text and by voice – to shape collective opinions.
Fast forward to today, and the power and potential of ChatGPT.
As we know from the flood of press coverage, this system of generative AI on a large language model has been used to create content that fools professors, passes tests, and mimics Shakespearean tone and meter. It's also been shown to create fine-sounding and completely misleading nonsense.?
I stand in awe of the technology. I also stand, in anticipatory awe, of what must now be on dozens of white boards, from Silicon Valley to Shanghai.?
But as I do so, the word that comes to mind is?accountability.
Specifically, the personal accountability of the?users?of LLM-GenAI. Today and tomorrow.
You and me.
Why will we use it? How will we use it? On whom will we use it?
This is why the Open Voice Network's TrustMark Initiative is so important.
TrustMark: a?collectively developed?conscience for Conversational AI.
It names and defines the ethical issues of Conversational AI. Identifies the rights we must respect and values we wish to promote. It will provide education, checklists, and tools that ask if (and how) our work may harm others.
It will signal your intent to be on the side of goodness. And guide you to actions that translate intent into sustainable reality.
The TrustMark Initiative is planned to launch in Q1 this year. You can now help Oita Coleman and the TrustMark team bring this to market:
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To assist or support the TrustMark Initiative – in any way – please?reach out to Oita Coleman.
Second Word:?Tangible
Most of us know (and respect) the wide gap between vision statements and tangible, implementable results.
That gap is filled with work. And the starts, stops, reviews, and erasures that are part of disciplined work.
The Architecture Work Group is the Open Voice Network team responsible for the development of standards for assistant-to-assistant interoperability. In recent weeks, their research and study enabled them to parse this large task into smaller tasks.
The most important of these, and the task of first priority, is?the development of a standard format for the all-important messages that convey users' inputs between collaborating assistants?in a format that all assistants can act upon.?
Our first publication defines the requirements for this format and?can be found here. These requirements are forming the foundation of the OVON interoperable assistant architecture.
We are eager to hear your suggestions on how they can be improved.
To get involved, and to connect with the Architecture Work Group, please?reach out to Dr. Deborah Dahl.
Third Word:?Value
For many people, the topic of standards is associated with words like?details?and?boring.?"Nothing is less sexy than standards," I was told a few years ago.?
I'll grant you that standards can be a social buzzkill.
But the interesting thing about standards is that they're less about technology and much more about money. They're about shifting and creating new revenue pools. About greater value and choice for end-users. About rocket fuel for startups.?
That's pretty important stuff.
If you're a Conversational AI developer or an end-user of Conversational AI capabilities, the stuff we're developing will make or save money for you.
So, here are two invitations to get going with the Open Voice Network:
If you would like to sign up for our value survey, please?reach out to Tobias Martens.
If you would like to participate in an intra-assistant collaboration and have the design/implementation skills to help develop POC prototypes, please sign up for our POC team by?reaching out to Dr. Jim Larson.
Help Us Accelerate the Work. Contribute to the Open Voice Network.?
Start with $100. Even $25. It's a statement of faith in the future. That we, together, can shape the future of Conversational AI.
Your contribution will be used to fund Open Voice Network technical and ethical use research.
Visit the?Open Voice Network Linux Foundation crowdfunding page?to make your contribution.
Impressed with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for inviting Oita Coleman to lead a session on voice technology ethics (focus on transparency and consent) at its intimate gathering next week. As an original member of the Open Voice Network’s Ethical Use Task Force, I believe our work in this area over 2.5 plus years is foundational for the future unfolding as we speak. As a community of the Linux Foundation, our meetings are open to all. Catch up and be heard at Openvoicenetwork.org.