CIRCE Seminar | Dr. Eldin Milak – AI accent modification tools in the construction of neoliberal bodies
🎓 We are happy to announce the next webinar in the CIRCE online seminar series, organized by the CIRCE project in collaboration with DFCLAM University of Siena, the H2IOSC project and CNR-ILC.
Speaker
Dr. Eldin Milak
Curtin University, Australia
Title
AI accent modification tools in the construction of neoliberal bodies
📅 October 6, 2025
🕓 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (CEST)
📍 Venue: Online
👥 Attendees: Researchers, secondary school teachers, language instructors
Abstract
In this talk, Dr. Milak draws on Foucault’s notion of technologies of the self to critically examine the emerging practice of accent modification using generative AI tools. Framed within broader debates on the construction of neoliberal subjects and bodies in late-stage capitalism, the talk explores the tension between the subversive use of accent modification as an expression of personal agency and the structural reinforcement of ‘nativeness’ that such practices amplify.
Drawing on examples from international call centers and social media, Dr. Milak illustrates how the self is (re)voiced in line with neoliberal imperatives of continuous personal ‘development’ and ‘growth.’ He concludes by reflecting on the implications of AI-mediated accent work for the politics of voice, identity, and inequality in a globalized economy, raising questions about whose voices are legitimized, and at what cost.
Bio
Dr. Eldin Milak is Lecturer at the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry, Curtin University, teaching across sociology, anthropology, and Korean studies. He obtained his PhD in sociolinguistics from Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea, as a Global Korea Scholar (GKS). His research explores the links between semiotic practices and personal identities, particularly within the dialectic of nationalism and globalization.
He has published in a number of international journals in the fields of language and media, including Discourse, Context and Media, Language and Communication, and Applied Linguistics. His most recent edited volume, Becoming a Linguist (Routledge), aims to introduce general audiences and aspiring linguists to the field. Eldin is the 2023 Korea Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow for Research in Australia and New Zealand, and a Fulbright Program Alumnus.
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