Portraits of Impact
Satwik Dutta
Researcher Uses AI to Accelerate Early Childhood Language Intervention
Artificial intelligence is not typically considered to be a part of early childhood development research, but Satwik Dutta MS’20 wanted to take a different approach to the field. He sought to use voice AI to analyze naturalistic adult-child interactions in the hopes of detecting developmental issues early.
“Most of my work has been to see how accurately we can understand what children are saying using AI for data-driven intervention,” Dutta said. “I am trying to measure how my AI algorithm varies across children who are typically developing as well as children with speech or language delays.”
He, along with a group of researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Kansas, looked at the data collected by the LENA device, a federally approved audio recorder which is typically sewed into custom-made shirts for children.
“The goal is early detection of disengagement in childcare, preschool classrooms or other active learning scenarios,” Dutta said. “When a teacher or early childhood practitioner says to a parent that their child may need additional support, the parent may often hesitate because nobody wants to agree their child may be behind. But if you have the data to verify that, it helps everyone support the child.”
Dutta is currently working on ways to properly detect various language learning milestones such as nouns, verbs, pronouns and question words used by children and to track this usage throughout a child’s day. This data can be used to determine whether that child is meeting the developmental milestones established by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other groups.
Dr. John. H.L. Hansen, associate dean for research in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and a Distinguished Chair in Telecommunications, serves as Dutta’s doctoral advisor and mentor. Hansen is a world-renowned expert in speech and language science and technology and founder of UT Dallas’ Center for Robust Speech Systems.
“I am what I am today because of Dr. Hansen,” Dutta said. “He is always positive and motivating. When I face any rejections or challenges, talking with him encourages me to try harder and get the work done. He gives a lot of freedom to his students in research, which is very important for a budding researcher to grow and develop.”
In 2023, Dutta was granted discretionary research funding from the Eugene McDermott Graduate Fellowship. He also benefited from the Jonsson School’s array of scholarship and fellowship opportunities, receiving two scholarships and two fellowships from the school. The Division of Student Affairs also awarded him the Patty Atchley Service to Student Life Award and the Darrelene Rachavong Student Leadership Endowment Scholarship.
The financial support he has received has made a significant difference to both his research and his life.
“The Jonsson School Graduate Fellowship gave me an opportunity to pursue a graduate education in the United States,” Dutta said. “Without it, I would not have been able to come here. Coming from a middle-class family in India, this fellowship helped greatly.”
Dutta hopes to complete his PhD in 2025.