Artificial intelligence enters speech therapy: A comment on guyardet al.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In their paper, Guyard, Masson and Quiniou provide arguments for the application of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to the field of aphasia. They describe a prototype AI system that can be used in the treatment of aphasic patients. For those among the readers of this journal who may be less familiar with developments in computer technology and only have a vague idea of what A1 is, it may be useful to provide a definition of this concept. A simple definition of A1 could be ‘…the study of how to make computers do things at which, at the moment, people are better’ (Rich 1983, p. 1); in other words, trying to make computers think and behave like human beings. An AI system in aphasia thus could be made to take the role of the therapist in designing exercises to be used in treatment, suited to each individual patient and his or her specific impairments. Such a situation is naturally highly preferable to a computer program consisting of a set of predefined exercises, where no or very few adjustments would be possible.