GLBT Technology & Business Series
Judith Markowitz has the distinction of working in a field that is simultaneously esoteric and extremely relevant. She is the head of J. Markowitz, Consultants, a firm that specializes in speech recognition and voice biometrics. Her office works with everyone from telecommunications service providers to government agencies to do everything from determining market direction to improving security.
Markowitz is an interesting individual, to say the least. During our interview, we talked about topics ranging from linguistics to ballroom dancing to books without skipping a beat.
Windy City Times: What is your business?
Judith Markowitz: There are [two] parts to the industry I'm in and they're both computer-related. One part is speech processing and the other is biometric security.
Speech processing [is something] you're probably familiar with. For example, when you call your bank and they ask you to say a number to proceed to the next step, that's speech recognition. The synthesis is the output that is generated from the text. The third part of the technology is the biometric side, that is, the speaker identification that [verifies] that you're the right person to access an account. It's also used for homeland security.
WCT: That's pretty intriguing. Now how did you get started?
JM: Well, my business is really as an analyst in the industry. [My life] is sort of a long and winding path. I got a Ph.D. in linguistics [from Northwestern University] and a masters' degree in computer science [from DePaul University] with a specialization in artificial intelligence (AI).
The work that I did early on was an artificial intelligence side of linguistics. I co-wrote a book in 1980 that looked into analyzing meaning with computers. Then, I was hired by Navistar International to be part of their artificial intelligence group; I was their speech and language person. I worked with expert systems, computer programs that mimic the knowledge or thinking of an expert in a certain area. After I left, they re-organized the company and eliminated most of the AI work. I decided to form my company in 1990. At that time, it focused on the understanding of language and AI; things have evolved since then. All of that led to becoming the associate editor of a trade journal in speech processing.
WCT: You sound quite accomplished.
JM: It's built up over the years. How old are you?
WCT: I'm [some unintelligible number].
JM: You're in the middle of building up. I'm [older]. By the time you get to my age, you'll have the same kind of history.
WCT: What's the toughest part about having your own business?
JM: That's an interesting question. The toughest part is that, if I don't work, I don't get paid. If you work for someone else, you get a regular salary, benefits, pension, and vacation time. All of those things you have to build in yourself when you have your own business. You have to be creative; all of those things are not set up for you.
WCT: Conversely, what's the best part about having your own business?
JM: The best part is that the boss is really smart. (Laughs)
WCT: Well, I don't doubt that.
JM: You need people to make policy.
WCT: I wanted to talk about speech recognition and voice biometrics (analysis). What's the main advantage of voice biometrics over, say, retinal scans and other types of security measures?
JM: Retinal, iris, and automated fingerprint scans are all kinds of biometrics. There is no one that's better, although the iris-scanning people will say that you should only use irises for everything under the sun. The fact is that irises are useless over the telescope—and there are times when voice is inappropriate. There isn't a best one; there would be several best applications for a situation. The best method may not be a biometric at all, or it may be several. You have to think about the problem and then [determine] the best solution.
WCT: Regarding speech recognition, I can see the advantages of it. However, couldn't there be drawbacks concerning taking care of your voice? What if your voice becomes hoarse or what if you're sick? Even your posture could affect your voice.
JM: People who are performers need to be careful about how they use their instruments. The same [applies] to speech recognition. If you're going to be using something extensively, you have to make sure that you take care of it. Your question is very perceptive in that people don't recognize that they have to take care of their voices. There is a danger of abuse but if you take care of your instrument properly, you probably won't suffer too badly.
WCT: What do you see as the next big trend in speech recognition/voice biometric technology?
JM: There are two separate things. In voice biometrics, the next thing I see is interacting with those systems. Systems are becoming powerful enough to make versions of technology where you can talk with someone in a call center and that person can verify that it's you. The person [on the other end of the phone] won't have to ask a million questions to make sure it's you. It makes the process more efficient. That type of technology is also used in homeland security; people can determine if someone who is caught is a known terrorist.
On the speech recognition [front], there is a similar thing involved. With voice biometrics, [the technology] doesn't understand what you're saying; it just looks for who you are. Speech recognition looks for what you're saying. But there are times when you want things to be more flexible. For example, you will be able to search tape recordings to see how many times a person said a certain item. You don't have to search through the tapes sequentially.
WCT: It's amazing how far technology has come in just a few years.
JM: The thing is that they're already commercial products. You can't buy them off the shelf; they're a little bit more expensive than that. (Laughs)
WCT: [In a nutshell,] how have computers helped your life?
JM: Computers ARE my business. If they didn't exist, I'd be doing something entirely different. My work is to analyze a little piece of the computer industry.
WCT: Out of curiosity, what do you do out of the office?
JM: Actually, I'm doing something very different. I like to read and I like mysteries. I have a project that's going to be published. It's a mystery series with gay and lesbian detectives. It's going to be published next year by McFarland and Company. The title is called Lavender Detectives; look for it in a store like Women & Children First.
WCT: I like that title. Are there any other projects or hobbies?
JM: My partner and I are learning ballroom dancing. It's fantastic and it's great exercise. It's also beautiful on top of it.
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You can reach Judith Markowitz at 5801 N. Sheridan Road (Chicago) or 1840 N. Oak Ave. (Evanston). Her company's internet Web site is www.jmarkowitz.com and her phone number is (773) 769-9243.
I'm at westelm406@yahoo.com .
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GLBT Technology & Business Series
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