In a revealing insight into the limits of modern technology, the ghostwriter of Paul Gascoigne's autobiography has disclosed that artificial intelligence was completely baffled by the football legend's thick Geordie accent.
Victoria Williams, who worked with Gascoigne on his book 'Eight', found that AI transcription software produced a cascade of errors when attempting to process hours of recorded conversations, mistaking common words and losing the nuance of his distinctive speech.
The Tech Trouble
Williams detailed how the AI consistently misheard fundamental words, turning the simple word "hide" into "hate" and confusing "lies" with "lawyers". These were not isolated incidents but part of a pattern of inaccuracies that rendered the automated transcriptions virtually useless for the project.
Despite not hailing from Newcastle herself, Williams was forced to abandon the technology and undertake the painstaking task of manually transcribing the recordings. This process, while significantly more time-consuming, proved to be invaluable.
A Silver Lining in Manual Labour
The arduous manual work had an unexpected benefit. By listening intently to every word, Williams believes she gained a much deeper connection to Gascoigne's raw emotion and unique character.
This intimate understanding allowed her to better capture his authentic voice on the page, ultimately enriching the autobiography beyond what a clean, but sterile, AI transcript could have provided.
The book, titled 'Eight', was released on 23 October. It delves into Gascoigne's personal life, his celebrated football career, and his very public battles with addiction. The footballer himself insisted the book be a completely truthful account of his life.
This episode serves as a potent reminder that while AI technology is advancing rapidly, it still struggles with the rich diversity and subtle inflections of regional UK accents, a challenge that human understanding and nuance can still overcome.
