Evaluation of how text-to-speech can be adapted for the specific purpose of being an AI psychologist

Abstract: In this research, our goal was to pinpoint the crucial characteristics that make a voice suitable for an AI psychologist. More importantly, we wanted to explore how Text-To-Speech (TTS) combined with conditional voice controlling, also known as ”prompting”, could be used to incorporate these traits into the voice generation process. This approach allowed us to create synthetic voices that were not just effective, but also tailored to the specific needs of an AI psychologist role. We conducted an exploratory survey to identify key traits such as trustworthiness, safety, sympathy, calmness, and firmness. These traits were then used as prompts in the generation of AI voices using Tortoise, a state-of-the-art text-to-speech system. The generated voices were evaluated through a survey study, resulting in a mean opinion score for different categories corresponding to the prompts. Our findings showed that while the AI-generated voices did not quite match the quality of a real human voice, they were still quite effective in capturing the essence of the prompts and producing the desired voice characteristics. This suggests that prompting within TTS, or the strategic design of prompts, can significantly enhance the effectiveness of AI voices. In addition, we explored the potential impact of AI on the labor market, considering factors such as job displacement and creation, changes in salaries, and the need for reskilling. Our study highlights that AI will have a significant impact on the job market, but the exact nature of this impact remains uncertain. Our findings offer valuable insights into the potential of AI in psychology and highlight the importance of tailoring voice synthesis to specific applications. They lay a solid foundation for future research in this area, fostering continued innovation at the intersection of AI, psychology, and economic viability.