The Role of AI in Call Centers
The “accent translation” feature is currently being rolled out at Teleperformance call centers in India, where employees handle customer support for international clients.
“When you have an Indian agent on the line, sometimes it’s hard to hear, to understand,” said Thomas Mackenbrock, Teleperformance Deputy CEO, in an interview with Bloomberg.
By leveraging AI speech modification and background noise cancellation, the company believes it can reduce communication barriers, shorten call durations, and boost customer satisfaction.
Teleperformance has invested $13 million in Sanas and secured exclusive rights to resell the technology. It has not disclosed which clients are currently using the feature, but its customer base includes Apple, ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company), and Samsung.
A Growing AI Investment Strategy
Accent neutralization is only one part of Teleperformance’s larger AI integration plan.
-The company has pledged to invest up to $104 million in AI partnerships this year.
-It is also using AI to train new hires and monitor call quality.
-AI tools are being implemented to enhance, rather than replace, human employees.
However, the rise of AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants has raised concerns about job security in the customer service industry.
Last year, Teleperformance’s stock took a significant hit after Swedish fintech Klarna announced that its AI-powered chatbot was handling the work of 700 full-time employees.
Despite this, Teleperformance insists that AI will not replace human workers but instead serve as a tool to enhance efficiency and performance.
What Are the Ethical Concerns?
While AI-driven accent neutralization may improve customer interactions, critics argue that it raises serious ethical concerns:
Cultural Identity – Critics worry that modifying accents erases cultural authenticity in conversations.
Bias and Discrimination – Some argue that neutralizing accents reinforces the idea that certain accents are “undesirable” in professional settings.
Impact on Global Customer Service Hubs – Countries like the Philippines, which has a strong English-speaking workforce, could face competition from AI-enhanced call centers elsewhere.
Despite these concerns, Sanas, the startup behind the technology, insists that the goal is to “reduce accent-based discrimination.”
The software is currently available for Indian and Filipino accents and is being expanded to Latin America, where Teleperformance has a significant workforce handling U.S.-based customer support.
An Unbiased Perspective: Innovation vs. Cultural Integrity
The integration of AI accent modification in call centers presents a double-edged sword:
Potential Benefits:
-Faster, more efficient customer interactions.
-Clearer communication, reducing frustration on both sides.
-AI-powered tools that enhance, rather than replace, human workers.
Potential Drawbacks:
-Cultural erasure—losing the authenticity of diverse accents in global customer service.
-Reinforcing linguistic bias, suggesting that some accents need to be “corrected.”
-Raising long-term concerns about AI replacing human jobs.
Teleperformance’s embrace of AI reflects a broader corporate shift toward automation, but whether this technology truly improves customer experience without compromising identity remains a topic of debate.
