SEATTLE (AP) – For several months, callers to the Washington State Department of Licensing have encountered a peculiar issue when attempting to access automated services in Spanish. Instead of receiving assistance in their preferred language, users have been greeted by an AI voice speaking English with a noticeable Spanish accent. This mismatch has raised concerns regarding accessibility for Spanish-speaking residents in Washington, prompting the agency to issue an apology and commit to rectifying the situation.
Maya Edwards, a Washington resident, became aware of the AI voice issue last summer after her husband, who is Mexican, attempted to use the Spanish-language option. Although he is bilingual, he chose the Spanish option due to extensive wait times for English-speaking representatives. Edwards described the moment as akin to a scene from the comedic television series Parks and Recreation, known for its satirical take on local government. "It was hilarious to us in the moment because it was so absurd," she remarked. "But at the same time, it has real accessibility issues for people who call in every day and need to speak in a different language other than English."
After discovering the ongoing issue, Edwards made another call earlier this month, only to find the problem persisted. She decided to share her experience by posting a video of the encounter on TikTok, which has since garnered around 2 million views. The overwhelming response highlights the frustration many users face when dealing with automated services that fail to provide the expected support in their language.
The Washington Department of Licensing has acknowledged the discrepancies in its service. In a recent statement, the agency expressed its intent to resolve the issue, acknowledging that the self-service option—designed to accommodate ten different languages—utilizes newer AI-driven technology. However, the specific cause of the error remains unclear, and it is unknown whether other language options have been similarly affected. Efforts by The Associated Press to access the phone service in other languages did not reveal any additional issues with accented voices.
In their official statement, the Department of Licensing apologized for the inconvenience caused by the error, noting, "An unfortunate byproduct of expanding services is that DOL found problems with the self-service option." The agency refrained from disclosing the name of the AI vendor that provides the translation service, instead directing inquiries to WaTech, Washington's interagency IT service. A spokesperson for WaTech did not provide the vendor's name despite multiple requests from the Associated Press.
As of Thursday morning, callers continued to encounter the same AI voice after receiving an English message acknowledging that some translation services were not functioning correctly. When an Associated Press reporter followed prompts for Spanish-language options, the response was a heavily accented English voice that only communicated numerical information in Spanish. For example, the voice stated, "Your estimated wait time is less than 0tres0 minutes."
The complications surrounding the AI accent issue underscore significant challenges that arise as government agencies expand their services to accommodate multilingual populations. As these agencies strive to enhance accessibility and improve user experience, it becomes crucial to ensure that automated systems accurately serve the needs of diverse communities, without introducing confusion or barriers to effective communication.
