Age- and Gender-Related Differences in Speech Alignment Toward Humans and Voice-AI

Speech alignment is where talkers subconsciously adopt the speech and language patterns of their interlocutor. Nowadays, people all ages are speaking with voice-activated, artificially-intelligent (voice-AI) digital assistants through phones or smart speakers. This study examines participants’ age (older adults, 53–81 years old vs. younger 18–39 old) gender (female male) on degree during shadowing human voice-AI (Apple’s Siri) productions. Degree was assessed holistically via a perceptual ratings AXB task by separate group listeners. Results reveal that older adults display distinct based humanness model talkers: displayed greater toward female device voices, while aligned to extent male voice. Additionally, there were other gender-mediated differences observed, which interacted talker category (voice-AI human) shadower (OA YA). Taken together, these results suggest complex interplay social dynamics in alignment, can inform models production both human-human human-device interaction.