How does speech synthesis differ from speech recognition?

Speech synthesis is the process where computer systems convert written text into spoken language, enabling machines to “speak”. This technology is widely used in applications such as virtual assistants, accessibility tools for the visually impaired, and language learning programs. The primary function of speech synthesis is to produce clear and intelligible vocal output from textual input.

This is distinct from speech recognition, which is the technology that allows a machine to understand and process spoken language, converting it into text. While speech synthesis focuses on generating audio output, speech recognition emphasizes interpreting and transcribing audio input into text format. Each of these technologies serves different purposes within the field of natural language processing, and understanding their individual roles is key to grasping how they contribute to intelligent systems.

The other choices present alternatives that do not accurately describe the specific functions of speech synthesis and speech recognition. For example, the mention of music relates to a different field altogether and conflates speech synthesis with musical generation, while the reference to generating text from images is not related to either speech synthesis or recognition but rather pertains to optical character recognition (OCR). Lastly, the incorrect connection of speech recognition to generating spoken language from text misrepresents the foundational principles of these technologies.