According to a recent survey from Guide2Fluency, the Yooper accent is one of the most difficult for artificial intelligence to interpret. 

The online language organization surveyed 3,000 Americans to learn how AI understands various accents across our country. The most commonly misunderstood accents include Southern, Texan, Boston, New Orleans and Yooper, the 11th most difficult to understand. 

The U.P. accent has a combination of Midwestern, Finnish and Canadian influences. These facors make it easy to confuse your phone or other devices when using voice-to-text or other similar applications. 

Southern was listed as the most difficult accent, and Chicago earned a spot as the 30th most difficult. 

“Even lesser-known accents, such as the Yooper accent from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the Hoi Toider accent from North Carolina’s Outer Banks make the list. These accents have distinct characteristics that are unfamiliar to AI, leading to frequent misunderstandings,” Guide2Fluency explains in an article about the survey’s results. 

“These misunderstandings have real-world implications. Users with these accents may find AI less reliable for everyday tasks, leading to frustration and a lack of trust in the technology. Improving AI’s ability to understand diverse accents is crucial for making these tools more accessible and user-friendly.”