SoftBank AI Softens Angry Customer Calls to Shield Workers

SoftBank Corp. is developing artificial-intelligence technology that changes the sound of angry customer calls to reduce the psychological strain on service workers. The system preserves a caller’s words and complaint while modifying vocal features such as pitch, speed and intonation, producing a calmer voice in real time. The project targets “kasuhara,” a Japanese term for customer harassment that has become a growing workplace concern, particularly in call centers and other frontline service operations.

SoftBank began researching the technology in 2021 and trained its machine-learning model with recordings of actors delivering phrases in different emotional styles. The AI analyzes signs of anger and reconstructs the speaker’s voice in a more restrained tone without rewriting the message. SoftBank aims to commercialize the system during the fiscal year ending in March 2026, initially for customer-service settings. The company has not disclosed pricing, prospective clients or a firm launch date.