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This is what computer-synthesized speech sounded like in 1963

This is what computer-synthesized speech sounded like in 1963

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Bell Labs illustration
Bell Labs illustration

While the latest from Apple and Google may be shaping modern expectations for what talking computers should sound like, people have been working on the technology for decades. Taking a look into the past, the 365 Days Project has a recording of several tests done by Bell Telephone Laboratories back in 1963. While the technology we use today is undoubtedly improved, it's intriguing to hear how some of the fundamental problems with computer-generated speech still haven't been resolved almost 50 years later. You can listen to the full audio here — and don't forget to hear the rendition of "Daisy," a test that is said to have inspired HAL's dying singsong in 2001.