Shirleene Robinson, former director of Australia's premier oral history archive, contends that society is already speaking and listening less—a trend she fears AI will accelerate. While much public concern about artificial intelligence focuses on its impact on written communication, Robinson believes the deeper threat lies elsewhere. She articulated this perspective in a recent opinion piece published in The Guardian.

Listening to different views and entering into different worlds is integral to our humanity

Shirleene Robinson

Fewer words every year

Robinson points to evidence that verbal communication is already declining, even as AI systems market themselves as offering rapid responses and simulated empathetic engagement. Research conducted by psychologists at the University of Missouri–Kansas City and the University of Arizona documented a significant shift in human speech patterns. Between 2005 and 2019, the average person spoke approximately 338 fewer words annually, according to findings from the University of Arizona.

The decline was substantial: daily speech dropped from roughly 16,000 words to approximately 12,700. Young adults under 25 experienced the most pronounced reduction. The research primarily drew on data from the United States and Europe, with measurements concluding in 2019—before contemporary chatbot technology achieved mainstream adoption.

Voices from the archive

Robinson directed the oral history program at the National Library of Australia between 2018 and early 2024, overseeing a collection containing more than 58,000 hours of recorded material spanning from 1957 onward. Throughout her tenure, she encountered narratives of profound historical significance: accounts from First Nations Australians, testimonies from members of the Stolen Generations, stories from a Vietnamese refugee who escaped by sea, and recollections from a Darwin physician who endured Cyclone Tracy.

Robinson argues that exposure to voices and experiences fundamentally different from our own cultivates empathy—a quality she worries will diminish as human interaction decreases. She emphasizes what stands to be sacrificed as conversation and listening become less frequent.

Empathy is the richest gift listening offers. That will be our greatest loss if we speak and hear less

Shirleene Robinson

Her warnings arrive as increasing numbers of people adopt AI chatbots annually.

Source: The Next Web