If you’ve ever asked Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa something, you may have noticed you speak MORE LOUDLY, slowly or make your words “clear-er.” UC Davis researchers say most of us speak differently when talking to our devices. Our social behavior may even be changing when talking with voice artificial intelligence.

In the latest episode of the UC Davis podcast Unfold, called “Hey Siri, Why Do I Speak Differently to You?” host Amy Quinton and co-host Marianne Russ Sharp talk to two UC Davis linguists to find out how voice AI is changing the way we operate.

In this episode:

• Georgia Zellou, associate professor, Department of Linguistics, UC Davis
• Michelle Cohn, postdoctoral researcher, Department of Linguistics, UC Davis

The Signal Award-winning podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Google Podcasts, on your smart speaker or wherever you get your podcasts. Original music for Unfold comes from UC Davis alumnus Damien Verrett and Curtis Jerome Haynes. Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter at @Unfoldpodcast.