When AI Transcription Service Fails, Who’s Responsible?

Thesis:

AI transcription services fail often. And when they do, who takes responsibility? This post explores the lack of accountability in AI-powered transcription and how companies leave users without recourse when things go wrong. Unlike human transcription services, AI transcription providers typically have no guarantees, no liability for errors, and offer no way to dispute inaccuracies.

When AI Transcription Fails, Who’s Accountable?

AI transcription services make bold claims about speed and efficiency—but what happens when their errors cost you?

Most people assume that if an AI-generated transcription is wrong, incomplete, or misleading, they can request corrections or refunds. But here’s the reality: AI transcription companies do not take responsibility for their mistakes.

Let’s examine what this means for you—and why human transcription services still hold the edge when accountability matters.

1. AI Transcription Providers Don’t Offer Accuracy Guarantees

Have you ever seen an AI transcription service guarantee accuracy? Probably not. That’s because they explicitly sidestep promising quality results in their terms of service. Specifically, they:

• Include disclaimers stating that they are “not responsible for errors.”
• Place the burden of review on the user, meaning it’s your job to catch mistakes.
• Do not provide reproofing or human verification, even if errors are reported.

2. If AI Misrepresents Your Work, You Have No Legal Recourse

Unlike human transcription services—where you can dispute errors and request corrections—AI transcription companies do not provide legal accountability. And there is no such thing as a “reproof.”

• Most AI companies include clauses in their terms of service stating that they are not liable for inaccuracies.
• Some even prohibit users from suing for damages caused by transcription errors.
• AI-generated content often cannot be verified in a legal setting, making it useless for depositions, court cases, or regulatory compliance.

3. No Customer Support for AI Transcription Failures

With most human transcription services, when a quality issue occurs, you can contact the company and have it corrected. With AI, real customer support is rare.

Many AI companies:

• Lack human review teams to manually fix AI-generated errors.
• Do not offer reproofing services—once you get the transcript, you’re on your own.
• Do not assume responsibility for the limitations of AI, even if they result in significant misunderstandings.

4. The Risk of AI “Hallucinations” in Transcriptions

AI doesn’t just make simple transcription mistakes—it sometimes invents words, phrases, and entire sentences. These are called AI hallucinations, and they can be disastrous for research, business, and journalism.

• AI might generate words or phrases that were never spoken.
• It may alter numbers, dates, and statistics in transcripts.
• Hallucinations cannot be detected without thorough human review, adding extra work.

Conclusion: Who is Responsible When AI Fails? No One.

Unlike professional human transcription services, AI companies operate on a zero-liability model. This means:
✅ They don’t guarantee accuracy.
✅ They don’t fix errors.
✅ They don’t take responsibility for transcription failures.

If your work requires accountability, accuracy, and legal reliability, AI transcription is not the answer.

👉 Read about transcription solutions that guarantee accuracy.

For a full breakdown of AI transcription risks, download our expert report today:

📥 Download: How Safe is AI for Qualitative Research?

Get in touch with us to learn about a human transcription service that is accountable.