Audiovisual media and automatic speech recognition

A methodological reflection

Abstract

The article maps the pitfalls and affordances of automatic speech recognition in the study of audiovisual media and digital history more broadly. Three key topics are emphasized: first, the collaboration between scholars and audiovisual archives and the potential of automatic speech recognition to transform the way scholars navigate and engage with audiovisual media history; second, what knowledge can be gained from employing automatic speech recognition in the exploration of film and television history; and lastly, thoughts on trajectories for future research. Even though the National Library of Sweden’s audiovisual collection is frequently used in humanities and social science scholarship, automatic speech recognition algorithms has not been utilized to analyze material from their collection. As such, this methodological reflection aims to contribute toward methodological development.