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entry · p2026-09-06-008 · validated

AT&T Voice Recognition Call Processing (HMM/word-spotting speech recognition)

1992, routinely handles about 1.2 billion voice transactions with machines each year using
tech
att-vrcp
passes the definition as
speaker-independent word models trained on recorded caller speech, spotting keywords in what the caller says
from
1992
region
US
domain
access
side
benefit
people
1,200,000,000 operator-assisted calls per year (2004)
effect
— calls (2004) — collect, calling-card and third-number calls completed without waiting for a human operator, at no charge to the caller for the automation
reversible
yes
who holds the switch
owner:AT&T
attribution
named
source kind
secondary
the statistic
Juang and Rabiner's history of ASR records that VRCP, introduced into the AT&T network in 1992, routinely handles about 1.2 billion voice transactions with machines each year, routing and completing operator-assisted calls automatically (figure as of 2004).
source
https://web.ece.ucsb.edu/Faculty/Rabiner/ece259/Reprints/354_LALI-ASRHistory-final-10-8.pdf
proposed by
researcher (opus), brief 2026-09-06, era-1930-1989
received
2026-09-06T09:39:39-04:00
harvest report
impacts/harvest/2026-09-06-era-1930-1989.md

Rulings, in order

  1. 2026-09-06T09:39:47-04:00 · validatorpass — quote found on the fetched page (exact match; HTTP 200 application/pdf)
The proposal as it arrived (JSON)
{
 "id": "p2026-09-06-008",
 "received": "2026-09-06T09:39:39-04:00",
 "proposer": "researcher (opus), brief 2026-09-06, era-1930-1989",
 "kind": "entry",
 "sha": "f422ae6569cc9760",
 "data": {
  "kind": "entry",
  "tech": "att-vrcp",
  "tech_name": "AT&T Voice Recognition Call Processing (HMM/word-spotting speech recognition)",
  "definition": "speaker-independent word models trained on recorded caller speech, spotting keywords in what the caller says",
  "from": "1992",
  "region": "US",
  "domain": "access",
  "side": "benefit",
  "people": {
   "n": 1200000000,
   "unit": "operator-assisted calls per year",
   "date": "2004"
  },
  "effect": {
   "n": null,
   "unit": "calls",
   "date": "2004",
   "what": "collect, calling-card and third-number calls completed without waiting for a human operator, at no charge to the caller for the automation"
  },
  "reversible": true,
  "switch": "owner:AT&T",
  "statistic": "Juang and Rabiner's history of ASR records that VRCP, introduced into the AT&T network in 1992, routinely handles about 1.2 billion voice transactions with machines each year, routing and completing operator-assisted calls automatically (figure as of 2004).",
  "source": "https://web.ece.ucsb.edu/Faculty/Rabiner/ece259/Reprints/354_LALI-ASRHistory-final-10-8.pdf",
  "quote": "1992, routinely handles about 1.2 billion voice transactions with machines each year using",
  "attribution": "named",
  "source_kind": "secondary"
 },
 "from_file": "impacts/harvest/2026-09-06-era-1930-1989.md"
}