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Alexa. Siri. Google Assistant.
Even if you remain one of the few who has yet to utilize big techs three most widely used assistants, we are reasonably sure you are at least aware of what they are and their capabilities.
Requesting specific internet searches from our tablets. Dictating our grocery list to our smartphones. Asking a desktop speaker to play our favorite tunes.
While we can’t perform genuinely complex tasks like driving a car with vocal commands, the effort that companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google have put into their digital voice assistants is extensive. However, they, along with several other groups continue to perfect voice recognition software to not only make your life easier but enhance the way we interact and live within our world.
What is Voice Recognition?
Voice recognition, also known as speech recognition, refers to the capability of a program or device to recognize and understand spoken commands and then carry out tasks based on those voice prompts.
Although voice recognition tech has been around for some time, much of its past development has been rudimentary at best.
Thomas Edison invented the first dictation machine in the late 1870’s, and almost a hundred years later, IBM developed a 1960’s era computer, the Shoebox, that understood 16 words as well as digits 0 through 9.
Advancements would continue slowly with more and more words added to recognition lists in each passing decade until the National Security Agency (NSA) began using recognition software in the mid-2000’s. Five years later the race to grab a spot in consumer households begin in earnest as Apple introduced its Siri digital assistant.
The digital assistants of Amazon, Apple, Google, and their counterparts represent a normalization of voice recognition software, where it becomes less an idea of science fiction and more a day to day necessity in the current digital age.
The Leaders in Voice Recognition
So far we’ve given a lot of attention to Amazon, Apple and Google, and their specific voice recognition tech. For good reason though.
Their collective lines of digital assistant products are the most widely known and as a result, the most commonly purchased. Consider the following list of devices that possess either Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant.
Amazon – Alexa
Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Look, Echo Show, Echo Spot, Fire TV Stick, Fire Tablet
Apple – Siri
AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, HomePod, iPhone, MacBook
Google – Google Assistant
Google Home, Home Mini, Home Max, Pixelbook, Pixel Smartphones, Pixel Buds, Chromecast, Nest Products
That’s over 20 products tied to just three digital assistants. This doesn’t even include third-party devices that can integrate into one of the three systems. Google Assistant alone can boast compatibility with well over 1,000 devices.
Other major tech companies, however, are not sitting idly by. Microsoft’s lesser-known digital assistant, Cortana, is starting to gain traction in the marketplace. Available through the Windows platform, the Harman/Kardon Invoke speaker, Microsoft laptops, Windows-based smartphones, and Xbox One, Cortana still has a limited, albeit growing, feature set when compared to the top three. Samsung’s Bixby, available through the company’s Note8, Note9 and S10 smartphones is the newest of the digital assistants and has an even narrower focus than Cortana. Regardless, the company is putting resources into ensuring it is a ubiquitous part of the everyday use of your cell phone.
Benefits of Voice Recognition
Aside from turning on lights, playing a song, and finding the closest pizza joint, what are the actual benefits of having voice recognition in your everyday life? Turns out, more than you think.
Like other recent tech breakthroughs, the initial adaptation period can be slow, especially if it involves a new way of doing things. As the software improves so does the real world application. Here are the three most significant benefits to voice recognition technology:
Accuracy and Reliability
When we speak, the words and messages we relay are less prone to mistakes then when we write or type something out. It’s also been a challenge for recognition systems to understand those words clearly.
As voice recognition improves the understanding of what we say and how we say it, the accuracy increases and along with that knowledge comes a higher number of tasks the software is capable of completing.
In other words, the more the software learns, the better it can adapt to genuine human speech patterns and inflection and the easier it will be for it to carry out more advanced commands.
This means that instead of menial tasks like the aforementioned light switching or music playing, you can trust your digital assistant to take accurate dictation, use auditory notes instead of handwritten ones, and apply the tech to areas with higher stakes than your home (like commercial, medical, or industrial applications).
Time Management and Productivity
This is already apparent in our growing reliance on the digital assistants we have on our phones or home devices. Believe it or not, your productivity stands to get even better.
A good example is Google’s still in development Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant Duplex, where the AI could, at your request, perform direct phone calls and schedule services, allowing you time to do other things. At their May 2018 demo, Google used Duplex to make a salon appointment and inquire about dinner reservations, both with stunning clarity and nuance.
Imagine this not only for personal use but in professional environments as well. Instead of you bound to the phone for scheduling, ordering, or general sales calls or follow-ups, an AI assistant could perform that heavy lifting for you.
Mobility
When one thinks about mobility the ability to work on the fly often comes to mind, but with voice recognition, that mobility can take on multiple meanings.
The first inclination is correct. You can dictate or command tasks while keeping yourself free for other things such as moving from one meeting to the next or when in transit.
Recognition software though really finds its purpose through those with disabilities who might otherwise be unable to use a computer or fulfill even the most fundamental duties. This can also ensure the individual is more integrated into their surroundings instead of being isolated by them.
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