A major step towards standardization in the field of voice-based health technologies has been achieved through a collaborative effort between eVoiceNet COST Action Network and the Bridge2AI-Voice consortium.
Despite the rapid growth of research on voice-based digital biomarkers, the field has been facing an important challenge: the lack of a shared and consistent terminology. The terms vocal biomarker, voice biomarker, and speech biomarker have frequently been used interchangeably, leading to inconsistencies across scientific publications and limiting comparability between studies.
To address this critical gap, an international multidisciplinary team of experts from eVoiceNet and Bridge2AI-Voice worked together to establish clear definitions and recommendations for the use of these terms. The authors propose “vocal biomarker” as the overarching term describing the field, while providing guidance on the appropriate use of related concepts.
This consensus represents an essential milestone towards more transparent, reproducible, and harmonized research practices. By creating a common language across disciplines, this work will support the responsible development and future clinical translation of vocal biomarker technologies.
This publication highlights the impact of international collaboration and the shared commitment of eVoiceNet and Bridge2AI-Voice communities to advance the field of vocal biomarkers through open science, standardization, and interdisciplinary cooperation.
The article has been published in Digital Biomarkers and is available in Open Access here: https://doi.org/10.1159/000553327
