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Neil Kirk

@drspeakmind.bsky.social
806 followers 133 following 100 posts

Reader in Cognitive (and MIND) Psychology with an interest in all things dialect and voice-y. Other interests include: the X-men, AI, the gym and doomscrolling. 🏳️‍🌈

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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Science X / Phys.org @sciencex.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Educating the public about the realism of AI-generated voices, especially their ability to mimic regional accents, can significantly reduce vulnerability to voice-based scams. doi.org/hbq64f
techxplore.com
AI education could be crucial in tackling rising voice scams
A new study from Abertay University reveals that the most effective way to protect people from AI voice scams is not through traditional warning messages, but by educating them about how advanced and authentic AI voices have become.
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Collabra: Psychology @collabrapsychology.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
#RegisteredReport Bilingual Language Control During Sentence vs. Single Word Production, from Anna Dalakoura, @drspeakmind.bsky.social, and @mathieudeclerck.bsky.social doi.org/10.1525/coll...
doi.org
Bilingual Language Control During Sentence vs. Single Word Production—A Registered Report
Whenever bilinguals produce language, both languages are activated and compete to some degree. Language control is the process used to minimize this cross-language interference and facilitate the sele...
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Gretchen McCulloch @gretchenmcculloch.com · 31/03/2026
What you think of a particular language, dialect, or accent is about your attitude towards the people who use it, not some intrinsic property of the linguistic variety itself All varieties are valid, systematic, worthy of study and respect
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
I've developed a psychological countermeasure for AI voice deception… and it's surprisingly simple! 🗣️ Thread below 🧵 doi.org/10.1093/cybs...
doi.org
Vigilance towards AI voices can be nudged through a change in ‘MINDSET’
Abstract. AI-assisted technology is used to create synthetic voices that are highly naturalistic, making it difficult for listeners to distinguish between
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
I've developed a psychological countermeasure for AI voice deception… and it's surprisingly simple! 🗣️ Thread below 🧵 doi.org/10.1093/cybs...
doi.org
Vigilance towards AI voices can be nudged through a change in ‘MINDSET’
Abstract. AI-assisted technology is used to create synthetic voices that are highly naturalistic, making it difficult for listeners to distinguish between
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Tis the season
A selfie of me wearing a patterned Christmas jumper
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
DIGIT @digitfyi.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
As synthetic voices become indistinguishable from real ones, DIGIT spoke with psychologist Dr Neil Kirk about how our instinct to trust our own accents could make way for deepfakes targeting not just individuals, but entire regions. www.digit.fyi/psychology-b... #deepfakes #AIvoices #AyeRobot
digit.fyi
Too Authentic to be Synthetic: The Psychology Behind AI Voice Scams
As AI voices become eerily realistic, new research shows that the instinct to trust our own accents could make us more vulnerable to deepfakes
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Here's a feature on my recent AI Voice work - really honoured to have been asked to talk about this! www.digit.fyi/psychology-b...
digit.fyi
Too Authentic to be Synthetic: The Psychology Behind AI Voice Scams
As AI voices become eerily realistic, new research shows that the instinct to trust our own accents could make us more vulnerable to deepfakes
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
🧠 Is your mindset making you more vulnerable to AI voice-based deception? I've got a new pre-print out: osf.io/preprints/ps... Vigilance towards AI voices can be nudged through a change in MINDSET Thread below 👇 #AI #Voice #Cybersecurity #Fraud #Psychology 1/11
osf.io
OSF
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
🧠 Is your mindset making you more vulnerable to AI voice-based deception? I've got a new pre-print out: osf.io/preprints/ps... Vigilance towards AI voices can be nudged through a change in MINDSET Thread below 👇 #AI #Voice #Cybersecurity #Fraud #Psychology 1/11
osf.io
OSF
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
New achievement unlocked - delivering the oration for Brian Cox. I didn’t faint, nor did he use any of his famous catchphrases on me. Success!
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Made another wee video about one of our recently published papers…
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
I’m on TikTok and Instagram @ drspeakmind - please give me a follow and see how well you can spot AI voices! 🗣️
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
“Enjoying” some time off work #ToughMudder
Three-panel composite image of a man completing a muddy obstacle course: left shows him gripping gymnastic rings mid-air, center captures him grimacing while emerging from muddy water beneath a black pipe, and right shows him smiling and soaked after finishing an icy water-based challenge.
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Scottish Institute for Policing Research @the-sipr.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
🎓 Fully funded PhD at Abertay University & SIPR: Enabling People to Identify Deepfakes. £20,780/year, fees paid, starts Oct 2025. Use eye-tracking to research deepfake detection. Apply by 30 June 👉 www.abertay.ac.uk/about/workin... #PhD #Cybersecurity #Deepfakes
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
It’s always lovely to receive a “to me, love from me, well done on finishing your marking” present.
Me holding my Nintendo Switch 2 console
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
🚨New publication... Children's films contain innacurate gender stereotypes and these corresespond to children's (and adult's) implicit and explicit gendered associations. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... Read thread for more details...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Mr Predator and Mrs Prey: Gender Stereotypes in Children's Films Correlate With Explicit and Implicit Gender Stereotyping
Children acquire gender stereotypes at a young age and these subsequently influence cognition and behavior. Stereotypes may be learned through a child's direct observation of gender differences as we....
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
This might make some language communities more vulnerable to AI voice-based deception. Luckily I’ve been given some funding to investigate this further, so watch this space!
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
I’m extremely chuffed my new paper “Eh? Aye!”: Categorisation bias for natural human vs AI-augmented voices is influenced by dialect” has just been published in Computers in Human Behavior: Artifical Humans. (and not just because my best work is in the title!) www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
“Eh? Aye!”: Categorisation bias for natural human vs AI-augmented voices is influenced by dialect
Advances in AI-assisted voice technology have made it easier to clone or disguise voices, creating a wide range of synthetic voices using different ac…
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 16/03/2025
Never knew hearing a Drag Queen play a medley of 90s dance hits on the saxophone could be so healing 🧘‍♂️
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Vera Kempe @vkempe.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
I wrote this for my US friends and colleagues, but also for all of us. Lessons from the past. open.substack.com/pub/verakemp...
open.substack.com
Scholarship Under Autocracy
We Have Been Here Before
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
🗣️ Do you like the sound of your own voice? 🤖 Would you use an AI clone of your voice in a video game, a personal voice assistant or even your Sat Nav? Usually when I ask this question, most people say "no." But what if I told you that your brain is naturally wired to prefer your own voice?
bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
<em>British Journal of Psychology</em> | Wiley Online Library
Self-cues such as one's own name or face attract attention, reflecting a bias for stimuli connected to self to be prioritized in cognition. Recent evidence suggests that even external voices can elic...
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
🗣️ Do you like the sound of your own voice? 🤖 Would you use an AI clone of your voice in a video game, a personal voice assistant or even your Sat Nav? Usually when I ask this question, most people say "no." But what if I told you that your brain is naturally wired to prefer your own voice?
bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
<em>British Journal of Psychology</em> | Wiley Online Library
Self-cues such as one's own name or face attract attention, reflecting a bias for stimuli connected to self to be prioritized in cognition. Recent evidence suggests that even external voices can elic...
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Jesspooka Kant 🎃 @jessdkant.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
If you cannot call it what it is when all in a week: a government removes every mention of a group of people, destroys information about them en masse, bans their discussion in schools, restricts their ability to travel and starts seizing and refusing their official identification, when will you?
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 02/02/2025
Science is political. It wouldn't necessarily have to be partisan. But when one party is opposed to science-based policy, scientists have a choice between saying "you're right, thoughts and prayers are probably as effective as reducing carbon emissions" or saying "fuck that."
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Surround yourself with people who celebrate your wins. In other news, I’m on the lookout for a new group of friends, preferably ones who are good at bowling 🎳
Me looking very pleased with myself for winning two games of bowling while my friends look on unhappily
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 28/01/2025
Speech recognition systems struggle with accents and dialects, risking problems in critical fields like healthcare and emergency services. Imagine calling 911 and the AI used to screen out non-emergency calls can’t understand you. A Spanish language professor explains:
theconversation.com
‘Sorry, I didn’t get that’: AI misunderstands some people’s words more than others
Speaking with an AI bot can be amusing and even helpful – if it understands you. How well AIs do that is a matter of whose speech they’ve been trained on.
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
It was a beautiful morning for a walk along the Tay.
A hint of sunrise on the calm waters of the River Tay
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Debra Titone @dtitone.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Cool study alert!
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
🚨Interested in accents, psychology, and voice technology? Well, I have just the preprint for you! I'm delighted to share my latest research: "Accentuate the Self: Prioritization of Self-Associated External Voices is Enhanced by Accent Matching." 🧵A thread (1/12)
osf.io
OSF
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
🚨Interested in accents, psychology, and voice technology? Well, I have just the preprint for you! I'm delighted to share my latest research: "Accentuate the Self: Prioritization of Self-Associated External Voices is Enhanced by Accent Matching." 🧵A thread (1/12)
osf.io
OSF
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Oh look, it’s my new preprint. Thread to follow later!
Emoji sticker based on me, with a silly pose of hands resting under chin
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Have lived here for 7 years, but there are still mornings that take my breath away!
A view of a sunset reflecting on still water, seen through glass doors with a metal railing. The sky features soft pink and blue tones, with part of a room visible, including an armchair and a lamp.
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Using the Scottish 2022 Census data to plot distribution of sexual orientation categories of men based in Dundee City. Notice the generational differences!
Stacked bar chart produced in ggplot, showing distribution of sexual orientation categories across different age ranges of men in Dundee, Scotland.
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
🎉 Delighted to have been successful in my application to the Scottish Institute for Policing Research's Think Big Leverage Fund to continue my work investigating how we perceive AI voices 🤖🗣️ Can't wait to get started! #AI #AIVoice #Cybersecurity #DigitalPolicing #Research #Psychology
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
PsyArXivBot @psyarxivbot.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
"Eh? Aye!": Categorisation bias for natural human vs AI-enhanced voices is influenced by dialect.: osf.io/skcv2
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
🤖 What are the implications? ✔️ Good news for using AI to promote language diversity authentically. ❌ Bad news for #cybersecurity if voices using certain dialects are more likely perceived as human, it makes AI deception easier.
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
🗣️Excited to share my new preprint - "'Eh? Aye!': Categorisation Bias for Natural Human vs. AI-Enhanced Voices is Influenced by Dialect".🔊 Available from: doi.org/10.31234/osf... Here's a 🧵 of the main findings: #AI #Voice #Dialect #Language #Speech #ElevenLabs #GorillaExperimentBuilder
doi.org
OSF
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
🗣️Excited to share my new preprint - "'Eh? Aye!': Categorisation Bias for Natural Human vs. AI-Enhanced Voices is Influenced by Dialect".🔊 Available from: doi.org/10.31234/osf... Here's a 🧵 of the main findings: #AI #Voice #Dialect #Language #Speech #ElevenLabs #GorillaExperimentBuilder
doi.org
OSF
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
500 followers already? Wow, I’m definitely staying here 🤩
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Reposted by Neil Kirk
Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 10/09/2024
Really enjoyed presenting my poster “Aye, Robot? Listeners’ categorisation bias for natural Human vs AI-enhanced voices differs across dialects” at AMLaP last week. Sparked some interesting conversations and was really well received. Now to get the paper written up ASAP! #AI #voice #dialect #MIND
Me standing in front of my poster at AMLaPThe poster I presented at AMLaP
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 16/09/2024
Name me a better feeling 🤩🥰#accepted
Screenshot of the submission portal of a journal. The text says: British Journal of Psychology
Article
Listen to yourself!
Prioritization of self-associated and own voice
cues
Submission Status
Accepted
Manuscript ID
BJOP-2024-0145.R1
Accepted On
16 September 2024 by Editorial Office
Submitted On
5 March 2024 by Neil Kirk
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 10/09/2024
Really enjoyed presenting my poster “Aye, Robot? Listeners’ categorisation bias for natural Human vs AI-enhanced voices differs across dialects” at AMLaP last week. Sparked some interesting conversations and was really well received. Now to get the paper written up ASAP! #AI #voice #dialect #MIND
Me standing in front of my poster at AMLaPThe poster I presented at AMLaP
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 18/02/2024
Had a braw wee trip to Edinburgh that was good for the soul 😌
Me sitting at a table holding a menu in Dishoom in Edinburgh
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 03/10/2023
My new research playground. Can’t wait to start running experiments in here… (well, my PhD student will be!)
Abertay university’s virtual production studio showing a space scene with lots of blue and purple colours
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 25/09/2023
Felt crappy, but soldiered on to the gym and then felt amazing 🤩
A mirror selfie of me, with a green glow from my green bathroom walls.
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 15/09/2023
Made a start on building Lego Rivendell. This should keep me out of mischief for a while!
Lego bricks from the Rivendell set  starting to take shape
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 11/09/2023
Forgot how exhausting public speaking is… and it’s only day 1 of the new academic year!
Mirror selfie, wearing blue shirt, grey t shirt and jeans.
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 06/09/2023
Bought myself a Magneto helmet and if this doesn’t help me find a boyfriend in time for turning 40, then nothing will!
Me in a grey t-shirt wearing a red and purple replica Magneto helmet
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Neil Kirk @drspeakmind.bsky.social · 04/09/2023
39, feeling fine 🥳🕺🏻
Me taking a selfie in the mirror
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