The Ebert test gauges whether a computer-based synthesized voice[1][2] can tell a joke with sufficient skill to cause people to laugh.[3] It was proposed by film critic Roger Ebert at the 2011 TED conference as a challenge to software developers to have a computerized voice master the inflections, delivery, timing, and intonations of a speaking human.[1] The test is similar to the Turing test proposed by Alan Turing in 1950 as a way to gauge a computer's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior by generating performance indistinguishable from a human being.[4]
If the computer can successfully tell a joke, and do the timing and delivery as well as Henny Youngman, then that's the voice I want.
Ebert lost his voice after surgery to treat cancer. He employed a Scottish company called CereProc, which custom-tailors text-to-speech software for voiceless customers who record their voices at length before losing them, and mined tapes and DVD commentaries featuring Ebert to create a voice that sounded more like his own voice.[5] He first publicly used the voice they devised for him in his March 2, 2010, appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[2][6][7]
References
^ abAdam Ostrow (March 5, 2011). "Roger Ebert's Inspiring Digital Transformation". Mashable Entertainment. Retrieved 2011-09-12. With the help of his wife, two colleagues and the Alex-equipped MacBook that he uses to generate his computerized voice, famed film critic Roger Ebert delivered the final talk at the TED conference on Friday in Long Beach, California....
^ abcJENNIFER 8. LEE (March 7, 2011). "Roger Ebert Tests His Vocal Cords, and Comedic Delivery". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-09-12. Now perhaps, there is the Ebert Test, a way to see if a synthesized voice can deliver humor with the timing to make an audience laugh.... He proposed the Ebert Test as a way to gauge the humanness of a synthesized voice.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^"Roger Ebert's Inspiring Digital Transformation". Tech News. March 5, 2011. Archived from the original on March 25, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-12. Meanwhile, the technology that enables Ebert to "speak" continues to see improvements – for example, adding more realistic inflection for question marks and exclamation points. In a test of that, which Ebert called the "Ebert test" for computerized voices,
