Telus is using artificial intelligence to alter the accents of its call centre agents in real time through its subsidiary Telus Digital, and the backlash has been swift.
Labour advocates are calling the practice deceptive, and the federal government is being urged to require disclosure whenever the technology is used. Rogers and Bell, meanwhile, say they have no plans to follow suit.
A Globe and Mail report reveals that Telus is running offshore agents’ voices through speech-to-speech AI models that modify how they sound to Canadian customers. The software, built by a company called Tomato.ai, is designed to reduce what Telus describes as “accent-related friction.” The company says it also helps protect staff from harassment.
The tech was announced a year ago by Telus Digital, which noted the feature “enhances spoken communication in real time by softening accents and improving clarity, without altering the speaker’s voice identity.”
Union representatives aren’t buying it, as they say the tool is fundamentally deceptive and masks not just accents but the location and identity of the person on the other end of the line. The concern isn’t just about transparency with customers. Critics say it raises deeper questions about what it means to strip away a worker’s voice and replace it with something more palatable to a domestic audience.
Rogers and Bell have both confirmed to the Globe they will not use accent-modifying software, drawing a clear line between themselves and Telus on how AI should be used in customer service.