Customised voice assistants are anticipated to become normal in near future

Even before technology took a perfect shape, people started imagining a future where devices could do everything they want. One of the major dreams was to have a friend who can reply to all their statements and stay by their side forever. Unlike how it was shown in sci-fi movies and dramas, voice assistants took a long path before getting on the mainstream. Today, voice assistants are human’s best companion. However, the future is anticipated to fuel more features into voice assistants. Customised voice assistants are anticipated to steal the stage soon.

We are in the golden era of innovation where technology can even hear words and take it as a command to perform tasks. The digital revolution has impacted many industries. Starting from artificial intelligence and machine learning to voice-enabled technology, the way we interact with devices is drastically evolving. In general, voice assistants react to voice commands and give users relevant information about his/her query. Updated voice assistants are designed to perform more tasks like processing orders of products, answering questions, performing actions like play music or starting a simple call with a friend. Voice assistants at smart homes are remarkably dominating other devices. They act as a bridge between humans and the vast knowledge and capabilities which the internet delivers. 2021 has given individuals more time and opportunities to invest on home upgrades, especially, on voice assistants. Today, the number of voice assistants in American homes has multiplied since 2017 to 25 million units. It is anticipated that the adoption will spike to 275 million by 2023 with a growth rate of 1,000%.

Voice assistants are like Aladdin lamp to the modern world. They come in small packages but can perform a variety of actions. A voice assistant is a digital assistant that uses voice recognition, speech synthesis, and natural language processing (NLP) technologies to provide a service through a particular application. Even though many other devices we use come with voice assistant features, a separate voice assistant technology at smart homes outperforms others. Voice assistants have come a long way since its idea came to existence. The beginning of the work done in this area dates back to the 1970s. However, things changed when Apple’s voice assistant Siri entered the stage and stole people’s heart. Other than Siri, Google Assistant, Bixby, Watson, Cortana and Alexa are also emerging as people’s choice of voice companion.

As technology is constantly advancing, voice assistant market will progress along with it. Gartner has predicted in 2015 that more than 30% of the interaction with technology would be through ‘conversations’ with smart machines in 2018. Fortunately, this growth was further accelerated by people’s interest in smart homes. Statista predicted that in 2020, there will be 4.2 billion digital voice assistants used in devices around the world. Forecasts suggest that by 2024, the number of digital voice assistants will reach 8.4 billion units, a number higher than the world’s population. If we narrow down these numbers and see, it is taking us to a future where voice assistants are everything in the world. With its advanced features, voice assistants will support business on a large scale. The emerging trend in voice assistant is expected to be something personalised based on individuals’ choice.

Amazon’s Alexa allows companies to make custom voice assistants

Amazon has recently announced that its hit product Alexa will allow automakers to create custom voice assistants. The program named ‘Alexa Custom Assistant’ is built directly on Alexa technology. It will give companies the tools and flexibility to create their own unique wake word, voice skills and capabilities. This program will co-exist with Alexa and give companies the opportunity to present a unique experience while Alexa provides the foundation to perform familiar actions, routines and more. The custom assistant marks a milestone in the voice assistant era. The voice assistant technology will take new routes to perform better in future.