There are pretty good chances you are using Alexa or Google Home already. You love giving them voice commands, don’t you? We all do! Voice-activated smart speakers are being seen in every other household now.
Google research says the top reason people are using voice-activated speakers includes:
- To multitask
- To get answers and information fast
- Make their routine matters easier
- To get things done fast
The Rise of Digital Personal Assistants
After a manual search, voice search among users is growing. It’s one reason why there is so much rush to create digital personal assistants. This shift is becoming a reality because of the rise of smartphone devices and rising smart home gadgets as well.
Since people are interacting with their devices on the go, it is more convenient to say OK Google or Hey Siri than touching to command. Stone Temple Consulting surveyed 900 U.S. smartphone users. Two-thirds of these individuals were comfortable giving voice commands through their phone.
Since a significant percentage of the population is already engaged in voice search, it is one of the biggest drivers why digital personal assistants exist.
What’s The Best Personal Digital Assistant to Date?
Google Assistant on a smartphone is the top-performing digital assistant so far. It makes sense since Google has such a big library of information. It receives billions of queries in a routinely matter. Its digital assistant has attempted to answer 80% of them, even the dumb question. And its accuracy rate has exceeded 90%.
Cortana (by Microsoft) in comparison has attempted to answer 69% of the question, Alex more than 50% and Siri about 40%. Their accuracy rates were grouped together closely. Google performs best on smartphones but when it comes to home appliances, Alexa takes the lead followed by Siri.
Do People Believe In Digital Personal Assistants?
It seems like users have already accepted digital personal assistants. They have them in their devices and they are using them already.
Now all you have to do is imagine scenarios. Your very own personal digital assistant could make a purchase for you, provide you entertainment on demand, control your home, schedule appoints for you and even manage your life. Personal assistants have quickly become the focal point of the online activities of users. Major players such as Google Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple are doing everything in their power to create new opportunities for using digital assistants.
Privacy Concerns
Although so many users have accepted digital personal assistants, some have privacy concerns. A report from Microsoft says that 42% of the voice assistant users are concerned about privacy, trust, and passive listening.
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Technology that uses personal data is supposed to be built with privacy at its forefront. That’s what the law in many states says. Companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple have built privacy protection in their digital assistants. Siri, for instance, does not record or act on your commands unless you say the keyword. Apple respects user’s privacy to its core. The company even refused the FBI requests for creating a software that would unlock an iPhone recovered from the shooters in the San Bernardino terrorist attack.
Those users who are skeptic must educate themselves on privacy and security functions of the digital products before using them. For example, when it’s not in use, simply unplug the device.
What’s The Future of Digital Assistants?
Personal digital assistants are here to stay. For the next generation, maybe it will become a staple food just like smartphones themselves. Here are some of the trends we can expect to see in the future:
- Increased personalization: Digital assistants are capable of learning user behavior. The software can make adjustments to personalize itself. There will come a time when the software will learn about the typical pronunciations of the users and cater to each individual according to their behavior.
- A personal relationship: You can expect your digital assistant to develop a personal relationship with you. The assistant will learn about his user and make an update accordingly.
- The decline in traditional websites: Just like app culture is becoming radically powerful as compared to the websites, the future will be about digital assistants. They might close the territory of a traditional website altogether. They will provide immediate answers to users on just one command.
- Voice notifications: Instead of push notifications, users will start receiving voice notifications as a way to capture and maintain user attention. Amazon already supports this feature. Alexa gives shopping updates to users through its voice notification feature.
Some users have mistrust issues with digital personal assistants, yes, but the satisfaction numbers are high and they are not going away. With HR technology and other similar services, customers are always connected to the web. They only make it more convenient to use digital assistants on their mobile devices as we go.
