Subject: Proposed MA Project: Artificial Intelligence and Speech, Language, and Communication Impairments

We are assembling a dynamic team of talented individuals who share a common interest in exploring novel approaches and leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods to address the challenges faced by individuals with developmental or acquired neurocognitive conditions. By combining the power of AI with our deep understanding of language and communication impairments, we aim to push the boundaries of current research and make significant advancements in this field. I am proposing an MA topic that fits our overall research environment well.

We will work on the latest technologies in Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and AI to identify speech, language, and communication disorder patterns. The overall plan offers a comprehensive set of objectives and research questions. Students can discuss and modify them to fit their research interests. Choosing this project will help students engage with the latest technologies and the future of computational language assessment, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment efficacy assessment. Please reach out to me for more information.

Title: AI-powered Speech, Language, and Communication Assessment: Unlocking Insights into Developmental and Acquired Communication Challenges

Research Objectives:

To explore AI techniques, such as machine learning and natural language processing, to automatically analyze spoken and written speech productions of individuals with speech, language, and communication disorders caused by neurogenic conditions, whether developmental or acquired.
To compare the performance and reliability of AI-based assessment methods with traditional manual assessment methods regarding accuracy, efficiency, objectivity, and validity.
To investigate the benefits and challenges of using AI-based assessment methods for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment efficacy evaluation, and therapy planning for individuals with speech, language, and communication disorders.

Research Questions:

How can AI techniques be applied to speech, language, and communication assessment for individuals with neurogenic conditions?
How do AI-based assessment methods compare with manual assessment methods regarding accuracy, efficiency, objectivity, and validity?
What are the benefits and challenges of using AI-based assessment methods for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment efficacy evaluation, and therapy planning for individuals with speech, language, and communication disorders?

Research Plan(s):

Conduct a literature review on the current state-of-the-art AI techniques for speech, language, and communication assessment and the existing challenges and limitations of manual assessment methods.
Develop or adapt AI-based computational applications that can automatically analyze spoken and written speech productions of individuals with speech, language, and communication disorders caused by neurogenic conditions. You can also test Open Brain AI (openbrainai.com), our computational platform that automatically harnesses innovative AI techniques to analyze spoken and written speech productions.
Collect data from individuals with speech, language, and communication disorders caused by neurogenic conditions and from healthy controls. The data should include spoken and written speech productions on various tasks and topics.
Apply the AI-based platform to the data and obtain different assessment results in different granularities, such as pronunciation, fluency, active listening, grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, content quality, and etiquette. Compare the results with the manual assessments of trained clinicians or educators using standardized tools or tests.
Evaluate the performance and reliability of the AI-based platform using various metrics and statistical analyses. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the AI-based platform and the manual assessment methods. Discuss the implications of the findings for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment efficacy evaluation, and therapy planning for individuals with speech, language, and communication disorders.

Why choose this project?

This project is at the forefront of applying AI techniques to speech, language, and communication assessment. It offers an opportunity to gain experience with cutting-edge AI technologies and their applications in real-world scenarios.
This project is relevant to a wide range of disciplines and domains. It can advance speech-language pathology, linguistics, psychology, education, neuroscience, computer science, engineering, and more knowledge.
This project impacts the lives of individuals with speech, language, and communication disorders. It can help to enhance the accuracy of diagnoses, optimize treatment strategies, alleviate the burden on clinicians, and empower individuals to communicate more effectively and participate more fully in society.

If these topic resonates with your research interests and academic goals, we would love to hear from you! Let us know your thoughts and intentions and share the news! We are eager to discuss potential avenues for collaboration and provide further details about the project.

Please contact us at

Email: charalampos.themistokleous@isp.uio.no

We look forward to embarking on this exciting journey together and making groundbreaking discoveries at the intersection of AI and language and communication impairments.