Do AI Transcriptions Streamline or Hinder the Transcription Process?

AI was probably one of the biggest buzzwords of 2024. Everywhere we look, companies are offering AI alternatives. AI tools such as ChatGPT can complete a multitude of tasks, such as CV writing, finding a picture to accompany a blog, providing customer support and more. Figures from gov.uk show that at the time of writing, around 15% of all businesses have adopted at least one type of AI technology, with a further 10% looking to add a form of AI in the future. This has both advantages and disadvantages.

AI in transcription services, for example, has been hailed as a rapid method of transcribing files any time of day. However, this is not without its faults. For balance, we look at the benefits and disadvantages of transcription AI, allowing you to find the ideal transcribing solutions for your needs.

What is AI Transcription?

As the name suggests, AI transcription is where a specialist programme with AI capabilities listens to a file and converts what it hears into text without the need for human assistance.

With simple prompts to start the process, the system will listen to files of all lengths and languages and convert them into a written document with a fast turnaround.

What are the advantages of AI transcription?

Utilising an AI transcription tool could be a great way to help streamline the processes in your business. The benefits are seen by some as wide-ranging, whilst others still have doubts. Let’s look at what benefits AI transcription could deliver.

Speed

With a transcript AI tool, audio file transcription or video transcription is extremely fast – much faster than if done by a person. This means that should there be several files to work through, the workload could be reduced significantly. This then leads to cost savings, a key benefit for any business.

Cost saving         

Where you may need to hire specialist transcribers or benefit from a transcription services company, the use of AI-led technology means you can carry out multiple tasks in-house without having to spend extra outgoings on labour or other resources.

Easy integration

There is often a concern that with new technology comes a complete overhaul of existing systems. However, with AI transcription, this usually isn’t the case – you simply incorporate it into the setup you already have.

What are the disadvantages of AI transcription?

For many, the dawning of AI is revolutionary, especially if it cuts their workload and does most of the heavy lifting for them. However, as with any tech, it is not infallible, and the disadvantages could prove costly in both the long and short term.

Lack of accuracy and quality

Even though we see AI adopted by many businesses, it is very much still in its infancy and as with anything new, teething problems are likely to occur. The biggest concern with AI transcriptions is the lack of accuracy. No AI tool can deliver 100% accuracy; 80% is perhaps closer to the real figure and this is a huge problem. Think of the reason for holding your interview, meeting or hearing and how important the matter of accuracy is. One misunderstood word could significantly change the result of this process.

Factors that hinder the accuracy of AI

Fast speakers, background noise and even the use of slang can throw off AI transcription tools, meaning that some elements can end up missing or become jumbled with other words or sounds that are picked up. This could prove especially problematic if you require legal transcripts, transcripts for HR, or for an educational or research application.

Furthermore, the spoken word has many nuances. Some words are spelt the same yet have different meanings and others sound the same yet are spelt differently and have different connotations. Think their/there, no/know and here/hear for example.

Then add to the mix that if the speakers have similar voices, are all men, are all women, or have strong accents, an AI tool could find it almost impossible to differentiate between who is speaking and what they are even saying. It’s almost like you need pitch-perfect, crystal-clear speaking in completely distinguishable voices for the duration of the conversation. As much as we may think we are all great enunciators, we all have linguistic traits that mean our speech has those slight imperfections that alter the sound or tone of specific words.

Problems found through inaccurate AI transcription

You’ll see we touched upon the fact that problems may arise should an inaccurate AI transcription be used in legal transcriptions, an HR meeting or an educational environment. These problems range from small issues that might be easily rectified to huge problems that could have significant repercussions for individuals or businesses.

Legal transcriptions: Should an important legal document be transcribed via AI,  any of the common factors we mentioned earlier could drastically alter the meaning of a testimony or a ruling. Where the AI tool fails to pick up the tone in which something is said, it could lead to a vastly different interpretation of what is really meant.

Should the inaccuracy be highlighted in court, it could even lead to the document or evidence being deemed inadmissible which could result in a hearing collapsing altogether.

HR transcriptions: If AI has been adopted for HR purposes, the factors above could easily lead to transcription errors, but those errors could cause far bigger problems than might be expected. Should a disciplinary hearing be taking place, the outcome may not always be instant. Notes will require reviewing and evidence will need cross-checking. Just one mistake in the meeting note-taking by the AI tool could lead to an employee being dismissed unjustly.

Educational transcriptions: Where AI transcription could be used in education, there is the risk of the accuracy issue leading to far-reaching consequences. Variability in accuracy could, for example, affect learning outcomes. It could misinterpret specific jargon and see accessibility to accurate and valid information hindered which could lead to students failing exams or missing out on entry requirements for higher levels of learning.

The costs of inaccurate AI transcriptions

The problems we’ve mentioned above are just some examples of what could happen as a result of an inaccurate AI transcription but there are of course many more that could stem from it. And, unfortunately, they all come at a cost. Taking the examples above, the cost to undo these mistakes is significant.

For example, a court case that is dismissed due to failings with the AI transcription would not only require the transcripts to be reviewed and transcribed again, which would incur a cost, but the legal costs themselves would be added again too, resulting in huge legal bills, loss of earnings and more – all due to an AI tool failing to distinguish the way something was said.

Now, if looking at it from an HR perspective, the costs could be just as high. In our example, we spoke of someone being dismissed. This individual, knowing they have done no wrong, will likely appeal. The HR team then has to review all the documentation and have everything transcribed again to ensure heightened accuracy. Depending on how the dismissed individual feels, this may be the only avenue they take. However, they could also look to head to a tribunal where the incompetence of the business is likely to be exposed at great cost both financially and reputationally.

So where an affordable human transcription service could have been booked from the outset, the AI version has not only cost money to hire but it’s helped rack up huge legal costs, additional labour costs and another batch of transcription services bills.

Privacy and confidentiality concerns

Because the information being transcribed simply sits on an audio file, there is a severe lack of data protection when using AI. AI tools are constantly developing and learning, meaning that the confidential information spoken about on the file could be stored in some way by the AI provider to help enhance its performance. Furthermore, encryption and data protection are a concern across many AI services. The physical location and duration of this data storage may be beyond the boundaries and limits of the clients requesting the transcription, and this can introduce extra legal complications.

Unreliable tech

Whilst the speed of the AI transcription can certainly be admired, the issue of reliability is frequently a problem. This doesn’t just cover reliability in terms of transcription consistency, but also in terms of the effectiveness of the tool and how it works. If there is an issue with internet speed or a technical disruption, there is a risk that the transcription could fail or remain incomplete. It could even be that the service has a long-term technical fault that slows down your efforts to get items transcribed within the terms of your SLA.

It might have a bias

This is perhaps one of the weaker reasons for steering clear of AI transcription, but it certainly warrants a mention. AI is built on complex algorithms, and it can only work based on the way it has been built. If it cannot account for accents or changes in tone, there is the concern that the overall integrity of the transcript could be questioned. If those building the AI software have not taken inclusivity and representation into account, you could find that files are transcribed with huge degrees of inaccuracy.

Lack of understanding

AI is a clever tool but when it is being used for specialist industries, it is important to know whether it can understand the complexities of the trade jargon or industry-specific terminology. This becomes even more of a concern if used in legal proceedings or science. Exact wording, tone and even pauses are essential to how a message is conveyed in these environments, and if AI cannot pick up on this, the understanding of the transcribed files could be very different from what it was meant to be.

It might be too soon for AI to have a significant place in the market for transcription services. This is especially valid when the required video transcription or audio file transcription contains sensitive data, legal content or an assortment of dialects and noise. Complete consistency can only be achieved by someone trained in transcription. Such professionals can decipher dialect, tone, pauses and complex vernacular that AI may fail to gain a true understanding of. If you require an accurate audio transcriber or video transcriber for medical transcriptions, legal transcriptions or interview transcriptions with no risk of AI compromising the quality, contact our team.