Baltimore Accent Difficult For AI To Understand

BALTIMORE, MD — If you're a Baltimore resident who's ever had the frustrating experience of having to ask a chatbot the same question multiple times, there may be a reason for that, according to a new survey.

The survey released by the online language-learning platform Guide2Fluency.com talked to 3,000 Americans to find out how well artificial intelligence understands a variety of accents across the country.

The Baltimore accent is the 18th-most misunderstood by AI platforms, including the popular ChatGPT, according to the survey.

"Maryland's Mid-Atlanic accent … is characterized by a mix of features from both the Northern and Southern accents, due to Maryland's location between the two regions. Some common features of the Mid-Atlantic accent include a lack of strong regional features, a flattened or nasal pronunciation of certain vowels, and a tendency to drop the "r" sound at the end of words," said Guide2Fluency. " However, like any accent, there can be variation among individuals and regions, so not all Marylanders may speak with the same accent."

The Southern accent was the most misunderstood, according to the Guide2Fluency.com survey.

This ranking shows the top 10 accents most misunderstood by AI:

1. Southern
2. New York City
3. New Jersey
4. Texan
5. Boston
6. Appalachian
7. Long Island
8. California Valley
9. Miami
10. New Orleans

According to the survey, these misunderstandings often have real-world implications.
"Users with these accents may find AI less reliable for everyday tasks, leading to frustration and a lack of trust in the technology," researchers said. "Improving AI’s ability to understand diverse accents is crucial for making these tools more accessible and user-friendly."

See the full ranking online.