"Voice biomarker" tech analyzes your voice for signs of depression

Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios

Software that analyzes snippets of your speech to identify mental health problems is rapidly making its way into call centers, medical clinics and telehealth platforms.

Why it matters: Proponents of "voice biomarker" technology say the underlying artificial intelligence is good enough to recognize depression, anxiety and a host of other maladies.

Driving the news: Hospitals and insurance companies are installing voice biomarker software for inbound and outbound calls, so that — with patients' explicit permission — they can identify in real time if someone they're chatting with may be anxious or depressed, and refer them for help.

Where it stands: A scant but growing number of scientific studies support claims that voice biomarkers can help screen for everything from depression to cardiovascular problems to respiratory ailments such as COVID-19, asthma and COPD.

How it works: Unlike Siri and Alexa, vocal biomarker systems analyze how you talk — prosody, intonation, pitch, etc. — but not what you say.

What they're saying: "From as little as 20 seconds of free-form speech, we're able to detect with 80% accuracy if somebody is struggling with depression or anxiety," Kintsugi CEO Grace Chang tells Axios.

Where it stands: Kinsugi is seeking Food and Drug Administration clearance for its product to become a recognized diagnostic tool.

Yes, but: Skepticism and ethical questions surround voice biomarker tech, which observers describe as promising but not foolproof — and ripe for potential misuse.

For example: Amazon's Halo wearable has drawn heat for its vocal tone tracking feature, which uses a form of voice biomarker technology.

The bottom line: The zeal of Big Pharma, insurance and health care companies will likely propel voice biomarker tech forward, and its early detection powers could prove helpful in diagnosing myriad conditions — if the related efficacy and privacy concerns are kept in check.

https://www.axios.com/2022/10/20/voice-biomarkers-depression-anxiety-ai-telehealth