Talk:Patricia Scanlon

COI suggested edits to introduction
Patricia Scanlon is an Irish entrepreneur and Ireland’s first AI Ambassador. She founded SoapBox Labs in 2013, a company that applies artificial intelligence to develop speech recognition technology that is specifically tuned to children's voices. Applications of the technology include literacy, language learning, and speech therapy, as well as smart toys, gaming, voice control, augmented reality, virtual reality, robotics, and the Internet of things. Scanlon was SoapBox Labs’ chief executive officer (CEO) from the company’s founding until May 2021, when she became executive chair. SoapBox Labs is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. In 2022, Scanlon was appointed by the Irish Government as Ireland’s first AI Ambassador. In this role, she leads a national conversation on how AI can help Irish businesses compete globally by offering differentiated solutions, cost savings, and faster scaling.
 * What I think should be changed (include citations):


 * Why it should be changed: Updates to Patricia's title (she's no longer CEO) and adding information about her new role as Ireland's first AI Ambassador.

SBL3535 (talk) 15:04, 2 November 2022 (UTC)


 * Partially done. Updated changes of roles, but also removed content that is about the company rather than Scanlon as this is a summary of her bio. Tweaked wording as per source. Melcous (talk) 00:46, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

COI edits to Education section

 * What I think should be changed (include citations): Scanlon completed a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering at the Dublin Institute of Technology and holds a PhD from University College Dublin in digital signal processing for speech recognition. She conducted research for Columbia University, IBM, University College Dublin, and Nokia Bell Labs in Dublin before founding SoapBox Labs.


 * Why it should be changed: Changing "bachelors degree" to "bachelor's degree" and adding "before founding SoapBox Labs" to the end of the paragraph. Also adding an internal Wikipedia link for "speech recognition".

SBL3535 (talk) 15:33, 2 November 2022 (UTC)


 * Partially done - minor changes done. No reason given for adding "before founding Soapbox Labs", this is detailed in the next section, no need for it to also be included here. Melcous (talk) 00:48, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

COI proposed changes to "SoapBox Labs Voice Technology for Kids" section

 * What I think should be changed (include citations):

The off-the-shelf voice technology found in devices like Amazon Echo or Google Home are built primarily for adults, using adult voice data. Kids have higher pitched voices and unpredictable speech patterns. Unlike adults, kids also won't adapt their speech to ensure they are understood by voice-controlled user interfaces and smart assistants. Voice technology based on adult voice data models performs poorly when used by kids, and the younger the kid, the poorer the performance.

SoapBox Labs develops speech recognition technology specifically for children. The company has created its own unique children's speech dataset with thousands of hours of children's audio. It uses artificial intelligence and deep neural networks to build its proprietary speech recognition technology, which can analyze children's speech in real-world noisy environments.

SoapBox Labs’ technology is integrated into third-party apps, games, and other digital tools. The company’s two main markets are education and entertainment. The technology can help children learn to read or to learn a new language, or can be used for chat moderation, search and navigation by game developers and embedded into smart toys. SoapBox’s technology voice-enables learning tools, gaming experiences, toys and virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) experiences.

SoapBox Labs has raised more than $12 million USD in funding since its founding in 2013.


 * Why it should be changed: Replacing quotes at the end of the section with authoritative content with citations. Also adding more internal links to relevant Wikipedia pages.

SBL3535 (talk) 15:49, 2 November 2022 (UTC)


 * Partially done - integrated into new Career section, which is more appropriate for a biography. Detailed content about the company is not all included because this is a biography and should be focused on the subject (Scanlon). Melcous (talk) 01:09, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

COI proposed changes to "Awards" section
To date, Scanlon has received international recognition for her entrepreneurship and contributions to the field of speech recognition technology.
 * What I think should be changed (include citations):

In October 2018, Scanlon was listed by Forbes as one of the top 50 Women in Tech in Europe and one of the top 50 Women in Tech worldwide.

In November 2019, she received the Spider Awards Digital Hero Award.

In 2020, she was listed #6 by Voicebot.ai as a top Visionary in Voice, a list topped by Jeff Bezos, the founder, executive chairman and former president and CEO of Amazon.

In 2021, Scanlon was named a finalist of the EU Prize for Women Innovators, a prize that honors the most talented women entrepreneurs from across Europe and is managed by the European Innovation Council.


 * Why it should be changed: Adding more information to this section to make it more relevant and up to date for readers

SBL3535 (talk) 16:06, 2 November 2022 (UTC)


 * Partially done. First sentence not added as it is vague and resume-like, BLPs should focus on specific achievements. Slide award not added because link provided is dead - if a WP:RS can be provided I will be happy to include this later. Also did not include excessive detail about who Bezos is - that's what the wiki link is for.Melcous (talk) 01:14, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

COI proposed changes to "Public Profile" section

 * What I think should be changed (include citations):

In 2022, Scanlon was appointed Artificial Intelligence Ambassador by the Irish Government and regularly presents on regulating AI and ethical concerns of privacy, bias, and discrimination.

As founder and executive chair of SoapBox Labs, Scanlon regularly speaks at conferences and events in Ireland and internationally, including:  Women in Tech Global Conference (2022)  First Fridays for Startups by DogPatch Labs (2022)  VOICE Global (2021)  EdTech Week (2021)  SXSW EDU (2021)  Play Creators Conference (2021)  Cartoon Digital (2021)  Inspirefest (2017) </li> </ul>


 * Why it should be changed: Adding more content to this section to make it more relevant and up to date for readers.

SBL3535 (talk) 16:41, 2 November 2022 (UTC)


 * Not done. Some of these things have been included in new Career section (more standard BLP heading), where notable and reasonably well sourced (not just youtube links). Melcous (talk) 01:10, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

COI - suggestion to add link to Patrica's TEDx Talk in the "External links" section

 * What I think should be changed (include citations):

<ul> <li>Official company website</li> <li>TEDx Talk - How Technology Transforms a Child’s Reading Journey</li> </ul>


 * Why it should be changed: Adding a link to Patricia's TEDx Talk, which has received over 43,000 views on YouTube. This talk gives credibility to Patricia as an authoritative speaker on speech technology and AI.

SBL3535 (talk) 16:47, 2 November 2022 (UTC)


 * Not done, but TEDx talk has been included in Career section, with more independent references. Melcous (talk) 01:22, 20 January 2023 (UTC)