- (speed talking)
Tomorrow, "War and Peace."
Got that?
- Yes.
(both laugh)
- What about you?
- [Host] This is a review of
the Google Pixel 4 recorder app
and it's real-time AI-driven auto transcription.
I pit it against a courtroom stenographer.
One of the worlds fastest talkers
and a handful of people with different accents
to see how accurate and fast the transcription really is.
Sure, there are loads of transcription apps,
but this is all done in real-time.
As you talk the words are instantly transcribed
using machine learning.
And it's done entirely on the device.
Even when you cut the Wi-Fi and cellular connections,
it works!
And it works well.
Of course Anita Trombetta,
a trained stenographer doesn't need
an internet connection either.
She types 260 words per minute
on her special stenotype machine.
Now to the tests.
I had everyone read three passages.
- (Irish accent) "To be, or not to be."
Spoken by Hamlet.
Act three, scene one.
- (Jamaican accent) On the business and finance column
on the Wallstreet Journal.
- (New Zealand accent) And I'll be reading
some Google terms and conditions.
- Test one: Me.
"We want you to understand the types
"of information we collect as you use our services.
"We collect information to provide better services
"to all our users."
The real-time transcription is so snappy
and it even inserts punctuation.
At least with sentences it seems to understand.
Things it has trouble with, Shakespeare.
"To be, or not to be.
"That is the question.
"Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer
"the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."
Anita, on the other hand,
has a grasp of Shakespearian English.
(bell ding)
Test two: Fran, the fast talker.
Because Fran can speak faster than she can read,
we first tried her "Three Little Pig" rendition.
- Are we ready?
- Yes. - Here we go.
(fast talking)
Tomorrow, "War and Peace".
Got that?
- Yes.
- [Host] The Pixel didn't even know those were words.
And to be fair,
no one understand what the hell she's saying.
On Fran's reading test though,
both fared better.
Even at her insanely fast pace.
- "To be, or not to be.
"That is the question (mumbles fast talk)".
- [Host] Google missed some words.
But so did the stenographer.
- [Fran] (mumbles) "...All my sins remembered."
What was he saying?
- [Host] Test three.
I gathered a mini United Nations of people together
to see how well the phone would understand English
in a variety of accents.
- "...despised love, the laws delay.
"The insolence of office and the spurns
"that patient merit of the unworthy takes
"when he himself might his quietest make
"with a bare-bodkin."
- "...the people who click on (mumbles) most to you online
"are which YouTube videos you might like.
"The information in Google clicks and how
"that information is used depends
"on how you use our services and how many (mumbles).
- So I'm reading Shakespeare's, "To be, or not to be."
Spoken by Hamlet.
It is act three, scene one.
And go, Okay.
"To be, or not to be.
"That is the question.
"Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer
"the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
"or to take arms against the sea of troubles."
- All right.
"From figuring out basic stuff,
"like which language you speak to more complex things,
"like which ads you will find most useful."
- [Host] So what did we learn here?
Well, that Googles AI transcription is damn impressive.
If you don't have a Pixel.
The Otter app for IOS and Android is an option.
Though not as good or fast as Google service.
Or you could just get yourself a stenographer.
- Ah, you're recording, you're recording.
Listen, just don't record when I don't want you to record.
I don't want you transcribing,
but I don't want you to be like a sneaky little spy thing
that's all around the place.