Hume AI Publication in Nature Human Behavior: Deep Learning & Vocal Bursts in Different Cultures

Researchers have investigated the emotional meaning of vocal bursts, sounds that humans make without forming words, using data collected from around the world. The study involved over 16,000 participants from the United States, China, India, South Africa, and Venezuela. An AI model was trained to understand vocal expressions and found that there are 24 distinct kinds of vocal bursts shared across cultures, with 79% of emotions and mental states preserved across different countries. The research adds to a growing body of work showing the universality of vocal expression and provides an example of how deep neural networks can be used to investigate psychological processes while controlling for human biases.