AI and Thinking Velocity

Speed of Thought

Most people speak at about 150 words per minute, read around 200 wpm, and type at a sluggish 50 wpm. Listening? That hovers near 150 wpm—about the same as speech.

If efficiency is the goal, the keyboard is a bottleneck, a relic of an era when computers were primarily text-driven.

We're learning that voice beats the keyboard. Or maybe to parady Marc Andreessen's famous post, "Voice eats the keyboard".

The Algorithm of Nuance

Our most recent post highlighted the recent developments with Voice agents. While we noted that Voice represents the most natural interface for human interaction, we wanted to revisit the topic to underscore a few more critical points. Speech-to-text technology eliminates the friction between thought and expression, allowing us to interact with intelligent apps in real time.

But voice isn’t just faster — it’s richer.

Text is flat, stripped of the intonation, pauses, and emphasis that give spoken words depth. A voice agent doesn’t just process words; it interprets how they’re said. Expression becomes part of the content, which can change the direction of an interaction. Leaders in Call Centers, Sales and Marketing know that the "algorithm of nuance" is a vital component of a successful customer contact. Inflection, hesitation, tone and pitch all shape the message.

The Context Switching Paradox

With apologies to Weaver Hawkins, context switching in text-based interactions is like flipping to another page of a newspaper.

You pause. Reorient. Restart.

But with voice, context flows seamlessly. Conversations shift, topics evolve, but the thread remains intact—just like human dialogue. We can say with confidence that the way we interact with machines is finally catching up to the way we think and message.

Give us a call if you would like to discuss how we could help you with your journey with AI Agents. The future of AI interaction is voice-led, and the opportunity is just beginning.