Richard Mayer, one of the world’s most-cited educational researchers, is studying what kind of computer-generated voices and images are most engaging to learners and lead to the best outcomes.
As AI chatbots become increasingly used as tutors, educational researchers are investigating what kind of computer-generated voices and images are most engaging to learners and lead to the best outcomes. One of the world’s most-cited educational researchers, Richard Mayer, has conducted studies on the roles of emotional tone and gender of computer-generated voices in multimedia lessons, with initial results showing that students responded more positively to computer-generated instructors that read as female. Concerns have been raised about simulating race and gender in tutors, with experts warning that approximations that enforce stereotypes could be problematic. There has been a push to create a “genderless” virtual voice, as one possible solution. However, for many students, the relationship with the professor delivering the material is key, regardless of the instructor’s speaking tone, gender or race.