In the last decade, artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed almost every area of life, leaving many worried that machines will take all the jobs man used to do. This is especially true in the world of transcription.
If you want your video or audio transcribed, you may wonder about the best option between human and IA transcription. The truth is neither is because every option has its good and bad sides.
The Best Option Depends on What You Want
The decision on which option to choose between human and machine should be based on what you want to achieve. For instance, machine transcription may be the best option if you are looking for speed. However, if you are looking for accuracy, human transcription is better.
You may also want a mix of speed and quality. To get both, you may want to go for a transcription tool that offers a blend of the two. For example, this online video transcription tool from Reduct Video offers both machine and human transcription options.
Comparison between Machine and Human Transcription
Speed
If you are looking for speed, not accuracy, AI transcription is the way to go. The time needed to transcribe audio depends on the length of the file and the transcription software’s speed. But ideally, a computer-generated transcript should be complete as soon as the audio file finishes playing, which can take a few minutes or more based on the file length.
On the other hand, manual transcription can take longer because it involves having a human read, internalize, and then write the transcript word for word. This option can take an average of 24 hours or more, depending on file size.
Accuracy
Human transcription is the way to go if your concern is accuracy rather than speed. Having accurate transcription is important, especially if you have a brand image to protect.
Errors and messages that don’t make a lot of sense can put off your audience because they portray a lack of seriousness in an organization or brand.
Human transcriptions usually have an accuracy rate of 99%, with AI having an accuracy rate of 85%, below the standard transcripts accuracy requirement.
While machine transcripts may not be as accurate, they are editable, and you can make the corrections which can be less hectic than doing it from scratch.
Audio Quality
If you have crisp, clean video and audio files, AI can do a significantly good job in terms of accuracy, considering it is cheaper than manual transcription. But crisp, clean files are more of an exception than a norm.
Often the files will have background noises and speakers interrupting one another, which can be problematic when using AI transcription software. Your best shot at getting a clean transcript will be choosing human transcription.
Accents
Accents also pose a significant challenge to AI transcription. While an AI tool will not have a problem transcribing native English speaker audio, it may not do a good job with non-native speakers because of their accents.
But it is important to note that some AI can transcribe different accents almost as perfectly as native English accents, with the feature getting better with time through machine learning (ML). So if you need to transcribe accented audio from time to time, you may want to consider a specific tool best suited for accented files. But irrespective of the type of AI transcription tool you use, it cannot beat human transcription in accented files.
Parting Shot
AI has made huge strides in the transcription industry. However, as good as it may be, it cannot replace human transcribers, at least not yet. For best results in terms of speed and accuracy, using a combination of the two is the best way to go.
