How the Future of Search is Voice
Michael Spencer
A.I. Writer, researcher and curator - full-time Newsletter publication manager.
Content isn't just changing to video, and shopping to eCommerce, the way we search for information is poised to change radically.
With chatbots and smart speakers integrated to apps, in the age of the internet of things, we'll become more accustomed to using voice search.
Immediacy won't necessarily consist of being glued to devices. Google changes its algorithm once or twice a day, Amazon Echo has been sold 3 million times, and there are multiple signals this is happening.
Artificial Intelligence As a Service
In a world not so far form now, the 2020s, artificial intelligence as a service, has gone mainstream.
The voice of the future may sound human, but the gateways in which we access information, do customer service, access devices and services, and even the kind of travelling experience we have, will for the most part be automated, streamlined and yes, voice controlled.
Going Back to Our Roots
In a voice controlled world, the interface that is a universal solvent is indeed voice. In the future, there is only one language, technology. With ear pieces that can translate languages in real-time, how we define literacy itself in the future is altered.
Voice may not just be the future of search, but the future of how we navigate through information, time, space and choice itself. Marketers have been adapting to a more visual and video emphasis of content, and they along with advertisers, will have to adapt to voice search.
Voice is the most natural interface, I'd argue, far more seamless than pushing buttons on a smart phone.
An Artificial Intelligence That's More Human
Monetizing voice search won't likely be a problem, as consumers don't want to be tethered to devices indefinitely for their entire lives.
As natural language processing continues to evolve, the internet won't be some web that requires a "gateway", the prehistoric "computer in my pocket", it will be a layer of reality we are immersed in that's all around us, in the smart home, car, workplace, the smart city.
As wearables evolve they won't just be touch responsive, they'll be voice intelligent.
What Will Future Consumers Expect?
If teens use voice search daily, won't they grow up to expect products, wearables and even smart clothes that are voice-search enabled?
Would I not want my Snap Inc. "Spectacles" to respond to my voice or my Fitbit? Would I not want to search Netflix, YouTube or consume personalized content like news, my schedule, my checklist, with a simple voice command?
The Unlocking of the Frictionless User Interface
In a blockchain universe, we don't have to go someplace to vote, we just speak our choice.
Apps and IoT only reach their full potential via voice activation. To augment our bandwidth via neural interfaces, voice is the beginning. In more immersive iterations of Virtual Reality, it's voice that takes us places. For the voice-first interface of the future, Amazon Echo is a bit like the start of a new journey.
Sensitive Robots Have Nice Voices
The truth is, companies like Google realize the future of AI and voice search go hand-in-hand. Remember in the movie Her, there existed an OS that was your virtual companion, the idea of texting her would seem ridiculous.
For Robots that are designed to be emotionally responsive to their environments, it's all in the voice. Check out how Pepper consoles this person.
Pepper: Peeka Boo!
[woman laughs]
Pepper: Please don't be sad anymore!
[woman smiling]
Human: Thank you Pepper.
Pepper: Ah, Mr. Masato left me a message.
Pepper on behalf of Mr Masato: I'm sorry.....about today....I feel bad.....for treating you badly.
[human hugs robot]
Human: I'm so glad.
Do you believe voice search will become relevant? How soon do you see it increasing into the mainstream?
Independent Thinker and Writer
8 年My smartphone already has 2 different voice recognition search programs. The only time I use either of them is when I am driving my car and need my hands on the wheel and my eyes on tge road. People already walk around either TNS (Texting 'n Stumbling) or TTT (Talking to Themselves, through their often-inconspicuous wired or wireless headsets). If the younger generation uses voice commands instead of just typing into Duckduckgo (my preferred search engine), it will create streets of Babel where nobody listens to anyone else, in public, anymore.
CEO and Founder, Applied Marketing Research; Co-Founder, Applied Research-West
8 年Yep - the keyboard is going away. It's funny. I have several friends that never were "keyboard-friendly" and they quickly adapted to voice commands, voice texting, and Amazon's Alexa.