DIPLOMASK
Category
HCI
AI
Role
Technical Lead
Location
New York
Timeline
2025
Collaborator
Chris Ye, Cheng Peng
Info
Diplomask is an aprovocative design project to demonstrate the growing influence of AI in shaping how we communicate. Designed as a soundproof mask, Diplomask privately captures the wearer’s speech, processes it through an LLM, and plays back a polished, corporate speech compliant version of the message. The wearer can adjust the overall tone of the resulting message through a dial on the mask to suit the recipient and context. It raises critical questions about authenticity, control, and the politics of expression in future workplace environments, when speech is not only monitored but actively molded by machines, challenging the boundaries between personal voice and institutional expectation.
Problem Statement
Diplomask critiques the pervasive reliance on corporate jargon as a marker of professionalism, highlighting how such language often obscures meaning and burdens communication. By transforming plain speech into exaggerated corporate-speak, this project exposes the arbitrary nature of these linguistic norms and invites reflection on their impact on workplace culture and productivity.
Technical Architecture
The project integrates three powerful APIs: OpenAI Whisper, which converts spoken audio into text; ChatGPT, which comprehends and transforms the text into exaggerated corporate jargon; and Google Text-to-Speech (TTS), which vocalizes the transformed speech with precision.
To ensure the user's original words remain private, the mask is lined with soundproof cotton, effectively isolating external sound. A thoughtfully designed knob on the side of the mouthpiece allows users to seamlessly switch between three distinct modes, enabling them to tailor their tone to the hierarchy of their audience—whether addressing subordinates, peers, or superiors. This dynamic functionality underscores the mask’s playful critique of workplace communication norms.
