Idiolect: A Reconfigurable Voice Coding Assistant

Idiolect is an open source (https://github.com/OpenASR/idiolect) tool for voice coding and a novel approach to building chatbots that lets users define custom commands and grammars on-the-fly. Unlike traditional chatbots, Idiolect does not impersonate an obedient assistant, but instead offers a highly-configurable interface for automating repetitive programming tasks. Featuring advanced support for error correction and audio-visual feedback, Idiolect promises to enhance the usability and accessibility of manual developer tools by offering an alternate input method for keyboardless programming. The following paper explores the mechanics of voice programming in Idiolect, and sheds light into the challenges faced and insights gained during its development.