Latest Trends in Voice-Activated Virtual Assistants

Latest Trends in Voice-Activated Virtual Assistants

Voice-activated virtual assistants are software applications that can understand and respond to voice commands and queries. They can run on various devices, such as smartphones, speakers, computers, tablets, wearables, and more. Examples of popular voice assistants are Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, and Microsoft’s Cortana.

Voice assistants have become an integral part of many products and services we use daily. They can help us with various tasks, such as searching for information, playing music, controlling smart home devices, booking travel, ordering food, and more. They can also provide personalized and contextualized experiences based on our preferences, location, and history.

The voice assistant market is growing rapidly and is expected to reach $26.4 billion by 2025¹. As the technology evolves, new trends and opportunities emerge for both consumers and businesses. In this article, we will review some of the latest trends in voice-activated virtual assistants that will shape the future of this industry.

Moving from Stand-Alone to Unified Solutions

One of the trends in voice-activated virtual assistants is the shift from stand-alone to unified solutions. This means that instead of creating their own voice assistants from scratch, businesses can leverage existing platforms and ecosystems to add voice capabilities to their products and services.

For example, Amazon and Google offer tools and frameworks for developers to create voice skills for their voice assistants. A voice skill is a custom functionality that can be invoked by a voice command. By creating a voice skill, businesses can integrate their solutions into the Amazon Echo or Google Home devices and reach a large audience of users.

This approach has several benefits for businesses. First, it saves time and money on developing and maintaining their own voice technology. Second, it provides a more familiar and consistent experience for users who already use the existing voice assistants. Third, it allows businesses to access the data and insights from the platforms to improve their offerings.

Some examples of businesses that have created voice skills for existing platforms are:

Spotify: The music streaming service has a voice skill for Alexa that allows users to play music, podcasts, playlists, and more by voice.
Uber: The ride-hailing service has a voice skill for Google Assistant that allows users to book a ride, check the status, and cancel by voice.
Domino’s: The pizza delivery service has a voice skill for both Alexa and Google Assistant that allows users to order pizza, track the delivery, and reorder by voice.

Moving from Voice-Only to Voice-First

Another trend in voice-activated virtual assistants is the transition from voice-only to voice-first. This means that instead of relying solely on voice as the mode of interaction, voice assistants can also use other modalities, such as visuals, touch, gestures, and more.

Voice-first interactions start with voice and might continue with visuals or other inputs. For example, a user might ask a voice assistant to show them the weather forecast on their smartphone screen or touch a button to confirm a purchase.

The advantage of voice-first is that it combines the strengths of both graphical and voice interfaces. Voice is natural, convenient, and hands-free. Graphical interfaces are rich, detailed, and interactive. By using both modalities together, voice assistants can provide more information, options, feedback, and confirmation to users.

Voice-first is especially suitable for mobile devices that have screens and touch capabilities. According to a survey by CouponFollow², more than 45% of users would like to be able to interact with mobile applications by voice. Some examples of mobile apps that use voice-first are:

Google Maps: The navigation app allows users to start navigation by voice and then use the screen to see the map, directions, traffic conditions, and more.
WhatsApp: The messaging app allows users to send and receive voice messages by tapping a microphone icon on the screen.
Netflix: The streaming app allows users to search for movies and shows by voice and then use the screen to browse the results, watch trailers, read reviews, and more.

Moving from Task-Oriented to Conversational

A third trend in voice-activated virtual assistants is the shift from task-oriented to conversational. This means that instead of performing simple commands or queries, voice assistants can also engage in natural and human-like conversations with users. They can understand the context, intent, and emotion of the user, and provide relevant and personalized responses. They can also handle multiple turns, follow-ups, clarifications, and chit-chat.

The benefit of conversational voice assistants is that they can create more engaging and satisfying experiences for users. They can also provide more value and information to users by understanding their needs and preferences better. They can also build trust and loyalty with users by creating a rapport and a personality.

Conversational voice assistants are powered by advanced natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) technologies. They use techniques such as natural language understanding (NLU), natural language generation (NLG), dialogue management, sentiment analysis, and more.

Some examples of voice assistants that are moving towards conversational are:

Alexa Conversations: This is a feature that allows developers to create more natural and seamless voice skills for Alexa. It uses deep learning to automatically generate dialogues based on the user’s goal, context, and history.
Google Duplex: This is a technology that allows Google Assistant to make phone calls on behalf of the user. It can handle complex and realistic conversations with human agents, such as booking a restaurant, a haircut, or a doctor’s appointment.
Cortana: This is Microsoft’s voice assistant that can interact with users across various devices and platforms. It can have conversational exchanges with users based on their interests, preferences, and history.

Moving from Reactive to Proactive

A fourth trend in voice-activated virtual assistants is the evolution from reactive to proactive. This means that instead of waiting for the user to initiate the interaction, voice assistants can also anticipate the user’s needs and provide suggestions or actions without being asked.

Proactive voice assistants can use various sources of data, such as the user’s location, calendar, habits, preferences, and history, to infer the user’s intent and context. They can also use external data, such as weather, traffic, news, events, and more, to provide relevant and timely information.

The advantage of proactive voice assistants is that they can enhance the user’s convenience and productivity. They can also create more personalized and delightful experiences for users by surprising them with useful or entertaining content.

Proactive voice assistants require sophisticated AI capabilities, such as predictive analytics, recommendation systems, personalization engines, and more.

Some examples of voice assistants that are becoming more proactive are:

Alexa Hunches: This is a feature that allows Alexa to learn from the user’s behavior and routines and provide suggestions or reminders based on them. For example, Alexa might suggest locking the door or turning off the lights when the user is leaving home.
Google Assistant Snapshot: This is a feature that allows Google Assistant to provide a personalized overview of the user’s day based on their calendar, location, habits, and more. It also provides proactive suggestions for things like travel time, weather, tasks, reminders, and more.
Cortana Briefing Email: This is a feature that allows Cortana to send a daily email to the user with a summary of their upcoming meetings, tasks, commitments, and more. It also provides proactive suggestions for preparing for the day, such as reviewing documents, sending follow-ups, or booking travel.

Conclusion

Voice-activated virtual assistants are transforming the way we interact with technology and the world around us. They are becoming more unified, voice-first, conversational, and proactive. These trends will create new opportunities and challenges for both consumers and businesses in the future.

As a user of voice assistants, you can expect to enjoy more natural, personalized, and convenient experiences with your devices and services. As a business owner or developer, you can leverage existing platforms and tools to create voice skills that integrate with your solutions and reach a wider audience. You can also explore new ways to use voice technology to create value for your customers and differentiate yourself from your competitors.

Voice-activated virtual assistants are here to stay and will continue to evolve and improve over time. Are you ready to embrace them?