Microsoft appears to be planning to convert the content from online meetings and group chats into background sounds.
- Navigating the Future of Work: Insights from Microsoft’s Recent Keynote
- Microsoft Copilot Pro: Microsoft’s Premium Copilot Plan
- Exploring Microsoft Security Copilot: AI-Powered Security
It may sound bizarre, but that is precisely what Microsoft has published a patent for, according to Windows Report, an online publication that mainly covers Microsoft’s Windows platform.
The thinking is that bringing the conversation off the page and into a worker’s auditory realm will create a more immersive environment, leading to an increase in engagement.
In a patent application, Microsoft talks about the engagement issues that result from current solutions: “Shortcomings of existing communication systems can lead to a loss in user engagement.
“Loss of user engagement can lead to production loss and inefficiencies with respect to several computing resources.
“For instance, when a user becomes fatigued or disengaged, that user may need to refer to recordings or other resources.
The paper continues:
There is an ongoing need to develop improvements to help make user experience more like an in-person meeting and more engaging.”
This conversion of text into sound, known as “Simulated Choral Audio Chatter”, is Microsoft’s next developmental step toward a more significant user engagement experience.
The system collects audio data from users working as a group, whether they are part of the same meeting, event, or whatever it may be. It then uses this data to create a simulated audio of the group chat that can be shared between the users.
This means that the audio will effectively sound like the people writing words, making the experience more realistic for those hearing the words spoken.
Making it feel more life-like for remote teams is all a part of the plan, as the paper explains: “Embodiments of the present disclosure may monitor groups activities of an event, such as a conference using a communication system, and may produce a spatial audio signal representative of the choral activity of the group to be conveyed to others who may be listening at a distance (virtual distance) or in another channel.
For example, when a breakout room is created, instead of a presenter being left in silence, the presenter may hear choral cues from each sub-channel breakout.”
So, essentially, Microsoft believes that by making the experience more real, it can also make it more engaging.
The theory makes sense. If our interactions with co-workers feel more immediate, they will most likely inspire a reaction from us and potentially avoid us having to search for what they said a second time.
Could the practical reality just be a bit too eerie, however? Hearing a colleague’s voice replicated but knowing that it isn’t really them talking may be a bit hard to swallow, not to mention the fact that the disadvantages of auditory communication could creep in, such as simply not hearing something that has been said.
Certainly, the world has come to accept bigger changes in the past, but it remains to be seen whether this idea catches on.
You will have to watch this space to find out!
