When this computer talks, you may actually want to listen

The last time you heard a computer convert a line of text to speech, it probably jarred. Google's machine-learning division, DeepMind, has developed a new voice synthesis system using artificial intelligence that it thinks will improve the situation. Having a computer generate the sound of a voice isn't a new idea. Perhaps the most common approach is simply to use an incredibly large selection of pre-recorded speech fragments from a single person. In a technique called concatenative synthesis, these are pieced together to create larger sounds, words, and sentences.