If AI Is the Future, Why Is Human-Powered Transcription on the Rise Again?

Over the past few years, there has been a surge in the use of automated transcription software to transcribe audio and video files. It was predicted that this emergence of AI would cause the loss of jobs for human transcriptionists and a significant reduction of pay for real workers.

However, many businesses and organizations are now realizing the limitations of these programs and are going back to human-powered transcription services. Some big transcription companies are even shutting down their AI option and only providing human-powered transcripts, and others are increasing rates so to entice high-quality workers.

Let’s look at why this may be happening.

As technology advanced, automated transcription software became available, promising faster and more affordable transcription services. These programs use speech recognition algorithms to convert audio files into text, but they have a number of limitations.

Firstly, automated transcription software struggles with understanding accents, background noise, and multiple speakers, which can lead to errors in the final transcription. These programs also struggle with understanding the nuances of language, including sarcasm, irony, and humor, which can result in inaccurate transcriptions.

Furthermore, automated transcription software often requires significant editing and proofreading, which can be time-consuming and negate the benefits of faster transcription.

Human-powered transcription services, on the other hand, provide a higher level of accuracy and quality control. Experienced transcriptionists are trained to understand accents, deal with background noise, and differentiate between multiple speakers, resulting in accurate and reliable transcriptions.

Human-powered transcription services also offer the ability to edit and proofread transcripts, ensuring that the final product is accurate and error-free. This is particularly important for businesses and organizations that require legal, medical, or technical transcriptions, where accuracy is crucial.

The trend towards human-powered transcription is not just driven by the need for accuracy, but also by the desire for privacy and security. Automated transcription services often store audio or video files in the cloud, which can be a concern for industries that handle sensitive or confidential information. Human-powered transcription offers greater control over where files are stored and who has access to them.

Finally, human-powered transcription services offer a level of flexibility that automated transcription software cannot match. Transcriptionists can accommodate specific formatting requirements, such as time-stamping, speaker identification, and verbatim transcriptions, making them ideal for a range of industries and applications.

While automated transcription software has its benefits, businesses and organizations are increasingly realizing the importance of accuracy and quality control that only human-powered transcription services can provide.

As a result, the transcription industry is seeing a return to traditional methods, ensuring that audio and video files are accurately transcribed to meet the needs of a wide range of industries and applications.