Ann Fredricksen

Coordinator of Accessible Media, DRES

In a higher ed galaxy not so far away, departments across campus are exploring AI speech engines—each hoping to find the one tool powerful enough to transcribe lectures, fuel research, and support accessibility without accidentally summoning the Dark Side of inaccurate output.
Come listen to a panel who have explored and navigated asteroid fields of demos, pilots, and vendor promises. They’ll discuss what “accuracy” truly means (because not all engines hear like a protocol droid), which factors determine a good transcription match for diverse academic needs, and what hidden considerations—privacy, cost, language support, security, discipline specific vocabulary—must be evaluated before choosing a speech engine worthy of the Jedi Archives.
IT professionals will leave with insights, cautionary tales, and perhaps renewed hope that with the right tools—and a bit of humor—the Force of good technology decision making can prevail.