Ethics in Speech Technology

My work in speech technology ethics examines the responsible development and deployment of speech and language technologies, with a focus on ensuring these technologies respect linguistic diversity, user privacy, and social equity.

Leadership Roles

• Ethics Chair, INTERSPEECH 2025: Overseeing ethical standards and practices for the 26th Interspeech Conference, themed “Fair and Inclusive Speech Science and Technology”
• Working Group Member, Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA): Contributing to the “Ethics and Research Integrity Policy in Responsible Research Assessment for Data and Artificial Intelligence” initiative
• Former Chair of Ethics Committee, Faculty Campus Fryslân, University Groningen (2018-2020)

Research Focus Areas

This project encompasses several key ethical dimensions:

• Linguistic Inclusivity: Ensuring speech technologies support rather than diminish linguistic diversity
• Bias Mitigation: Identifying and addressing biases in speech systems that affect underrepresented populations
• Privacy and Consent: Developing frameworks for ethical data collection and use in speech research
• Transparency: Promoting explainable AI approaches in speech technology
• Educational Ethics: Ethical considerations in teaching AI and speech technology

Education & Training Initiatives

• Speech Tech Summer Schools (2023, 2024): Organized summer schools focusing on ethical speech technology development, including the “Charting New Futures” themed event in 2024
• Senior Teaching Qualification (STQ) (2024): Developed curriculum on “GPT in the classroom: Ethical considerations” to integrate AI ethics into higher education
• AI Ethics Training: Completed specialized training in “AI Empathy & Ethics” (University of California) and “Artificial Intelligence: Ethics & Societal Challenges” (Lund University)

Publications & Resources

• “Speech Tech Ethics”: Co-editing a forthcoming book with Maggie Glass that explores ethical frameworks and challenges in speech technology (currently in preparation)
• Development of ethical guidelines for speech technology research and deployment
• Creating educational materials on ethics for speech technology students

Recent Initiatives

• Co-organizer of “Exploring the Dark Side of Future Language Technologies: Linguistic (In)security, Ethics, and Privacy in the Human-Machine Era” (2024)
• Dutch Speech Tech Day series (2023-2025): Creating platforms for ethical discussions in speech technology