Using AI vs Working with a Speech-Language Pathologist

Recently during initial consultations, I have had clients asking me questions about what the difference is between working with a speech-language pathologist vs using AI to work on their goals. This is a question that I will answer shortly. Artificial intelligence (AI) in more recent years has become a very common part of people’s daily lives in various ways, but this also includes communication and learning. They are so many different communication tools out there, such as generating exercises, practicing pronunciation, and even simulating conversations. AI can appear to be a very confident cost-effective option for practice for many people working on goals such as speech clarity or professional communication.

Back to answering the initial question. AI can be a very helpful tool for practice outside of speech therapy sessions, as it is very different then actually working with a SLP directly whether it is in person or virtually. Though both can help to work on communication goals they serve a different purpose and provide different support. Understanding these differences can help people make informed decisions, and understand how an SLP can support them directly, and how AI can act more as a supplement for practice. 

Speech pathologists are trained professionals who assess and treat different communication disorders and issues. The work of a SLP goes far beyond just providing practice exercises and feedback during sessions. The most important initial step of an SLP is assessment. Before treatment can begin the SLP looks at your speech, voice, language and communication patterns, this allows the SLP to understand what is happening and possible reasons for it, so that they’re able to create an individualised plan and goals to help support client needs. 

For example, someone who has speech clarity issues may be experiencing them due to breath support, motor coordination, articulation patterns, speech rate, intonation, or resonance. A speech pathologist can identify the underlying causes contributing to the clients’ difficulties, something that AI cannot do.  Once assessment is complete, the clinician creates an individualized plan to target specific goals based on client needs, abilities and communication environments. Therapy may not be just about targeting one sound for clarity, but all the other underlying speech patterns that may be affecting the client’s clarity. Once treatment begins the SLP monitors progress carefully. During sessions the clinician monitors the clients progress and speech patterns and can adjust the exercises in real time, address the reasons for the difficulties, and provide new strategies if needed. Only an actual real-life clinician can do this, and AI systems cannot replicate this level of expertise. 

One of the biggest differences between an SLP and AI is the level of clinical judgment and personalization that is involved in sessions. The SLP can monitor and personalize the exercises needed in real time based on direct observations, while AI tools provide more general exercises and feedback. An SLP provides guidance and feedback based on clinical judgment and direct observation of the client in all aspects of communication.  

Speech production involves many different areas such as breathing, articulation, resonance, and pacing. An SLP can determine the underlying cause of the difficulty and come up with the best approach for the client.  For example, throughout my year of working with clients sometimes they come to me and describe that their speech sounds unclear, and they are being asked to repeat themselves. Sometimes these same clients assume it is their articulation and how they are pronouncing sounds (which sometimes it is), but in this case it was the breath support and pacing that made them sound less clear. I have also had clients come to me saying they have difficulty forming their thoughts when speaking in a professional setting, and this ended up being due to anxiety and cognitive load during conversations. These are a few good examples of how only an SLP can determine these underlying factors and create individualized strategies. 

An SLP also thinks about broader communication contexts that go fast beyond just practicing at home. Communication involves non-verbal communication, social communication, tone, confidence and ability to adapt communication depending on the situation. This is something that is not easily practiced using AI, as an SLP can provide real conversation practice and practice role-play scenarios.

The quality of feedback from a speech language pathologist also greatly surpasses the feedback that AI can provide. The feedback is more targeted and specific to the individual. For example, if the placement of a sound is off, the clinician can model correct placement and help clients adjust their placement in order to achieve correct production. AI feedback may be more general, such as identifying that the sound is incorrect, without teaching the client how to fix it. 

An SLP can also help the client develop their own self-awareness and self- monitoring skills. This is very important for practice outside of session as well as generalization of the goals to everyday life. An SLP will explain what to look for and what tools to use to help with self-monitoring when they are not there to give feedback and make adjustments. Though AI can help support practice outside of the sessions, they cannot meet the level of expertise that a clinician provides. 

There are many tools out there that are great for everyday practice. AI tools are useful for generating exercises and providing reminders and prompts if a client makes an error, especially if the client’s self- monitoring skills are still developing. The convenience and the quick use to generate materials and practice can be a great supplement for speech practice outside of sessions and can help support progress before the next treatment visit with the SLP. 

So rather than viewing AI and speech therapists as competing options, it is more helpful to think of AI as supplementary tools to speech therapy. For example, a client might work with an SLP to learn specific techniques for articulation, breathing, or intonation. Between sessions, they could use AI tools to generate additional reading passages, word lists, or conversation prompts to reinforce those skills. AI can help support consistency and repetition, which can help develop new speech habits more quickly. 

It is important to make an informed choice when wanting to improve your own communication. Understanding the difference between what an SLP can provide versus AI is important when considering your options. AI tools can act as supportive supplements to practice outside of speech sessions, especially when someone does not have another person available to practice with. 

However, an SLP is critical, as AI itself cannot replace the expertise of a trained clinician. An SLP is needed to assess and understand the underlying factors and develop an individualized treatment plan based on the client’s specific goals and needs. Ultimately, it can be beneficial to use both resources: an SLP to provide expertise and structured guidance to develop strong communication skills and AI tools to supplement therapy by offering additional practice and reinforcement outside of sessions.