When you think about legal transcription, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is a trained person manually listening to recordings and transcribing them into written text. For many years, the field of law has relied on transcriptionists to work on extensive recordings containing court proceedings, statements, depositions, and the like. But this is about to change significantly as AI technology is slowly changing how companies today transcribe documents.
How do transcription services use AI?
AI-powered transcription makes use of a speech to text software that automatically listens to audio and video clips and automatically types out the words. The rough draft of the transcript is then edited manually by a transcriptionist to sort out any errors and typos. The final draft will be formatted according to the client’s specifications and shared using a secure channel.
What is most impressive about using AI, as demonstrated by legal transcription services at Verbit.ai are the incredible efficiency and high-quality results. What this means for the client is the possibility of having a high volume of work done in less time and at a lower cost too.
Combining machines and humans for maximum accuracy and speed
In the legal profession, accuracy is a paramount requirement. The current performance of generic speech recognition software can only reach an accuracy rate of about 80%. Fortunately, transcription companies develop and enhance their transcription software to increase the accuracy rate. At the same time, transcribers verify and edit the results to achieve an accuracy rate of 100%.
According to experts, we are a long way from relying only on machines to achieve perfect transcription accuracy. Although the technology is becoming more sophisticated, there is still a need to make use of humans to understand and decode much of the nuances present in human language. Apart from these nuances, there are other factors that also affect speech accuracy, such as venue acoustics, the person’s pace, as well as accent.
The main objective of using machines is efficiency. The machine-human hybrid model used by transcription services today is an excellent fit not only for the law sector but for almost any industry that requires transcription.
How are these challenges with AI going to be resolved?
Indeed transcription services today have become quite sophisticated and innovative. Clients have access to a variety of features and formats that were not available five years ago. Perfecting the algorithm used in AI-powered transcription will take time, but it is not impossible. Indeed in the courtroom setting, using a machine is not the ideal solution. But to transcribe documents and other recorded files, the hybrid model is quite effective.
The good news is that transcription providers will continue to innovate and improve transcription software for various professions. While perfection is not possible in the near future, perhaps in the coming decades, it is possible to see some aspects of transcription shift entirely to machines. It may not be in the field of law, but other sectors that can tolerate a less than 100% accuracy are likely the first to benefit.