In Washington state, a mix-up occurred with the Department of Licensing’s phone service. When callers opted for Spanish language support, they were greeted by an AI voice speaking English with a pronounced Spanish accent. The department has since issued an apology and claims to have resolved the issue.
Last summer, resident Maya Edwards encountered the peculiar service after her husband, who is bilingual, attempted to access Spanish information regarding his driver’s license due to long wait times for English service. Edwards compared the experience to a scene from the comedy show “Parks and Recreation,” noting its absurdity and the potential accessibility issues it posed.
Despite the department’s assurances, Edwards discovered the malfunction still existed when she called back and subsequently posted a video on TikTok, gaining around 2 million views. The Washington Department of Licensing released a statement explaining that a staff error led to the problem, apologizing for the inconvenience, and mentioning that their automated system supports ten languages using advanced AI technology.
The issue seemed isolated to Spanish, as tests by the Associated Press in other languages did not replicate the problem. The service still played a message in English noting some translation issues. When following Spanish prompts, callers heard accented English interspersed with Spanish for numbers, such as “Your estimated wait time is less than ‘tres’ minutes.”
The department revealed that their phone system uses Amazon’s platform but declined to provide further interviews. AP journalists found the voice resembling the specific accent was one offered by Amazon Web Services, dubbed “Lucia,” which simulates Castilian Spanish. Amazon has not issued a response.