Some of the greatest breakthroughs in voice technology are happening today. But not all of the breakthroughs are coming from Amazon and Google. Amazon continues to lead in Smart Speakers and most recently with Wearables. Google is well known for putting Google Assistant in Android phones, Android Auto, and Google Nest Smart Speakers. But there are many companies working to make voice technology ubiquitous. Presently, the world is at the nexus of the IoT, 5G, and AI revolution. That means that greater advancements in voice-enabled technology are around the corner with improved voice recognition technology, multilingual voice recognition, and more contextual voice controls likely to happen in the future.
Here are a few lesser-known breakthroughs in AI voice tech that have already happened or are happening right now. Let’s take a look at them:
1. Huawei has Entered the Smart Speaker Market
Huawei is the latest big player to enter the smart speaker market. Even though niche players like Xiaomi are making their presence felt, Google and Amazon are the only big dogs. However, Huawei has both the money and the infrastructure to challenge them.
The company’s latest speaker is called the Huawei Sound X that has been built in partnership with French Audio Specialists Devialet. Devialet is already known for its premium Gold Phantom Speaker, which is known for its bass and serious punch. However, it does come with a hefty price tag of $3,000.
Huawei’s speaker costs a lot less at $280 (1999 yuan) in China. It will still have the 60-Watt double subwoofer and the 360-degree sound that Devialet is famous for. The speaker is already available in China, but it will soon be releasing across European countries. Of course, with the numerous security concerns being raised about Huawei, that release date is probably tentative.
The speaker will not be coming to the US due to the Huawei ban.
2. Voice-Enabled Payments
Tom Taylor, senior VP of Amazon Alexa, recently told GeekWire that voice use had increased during COVID-19. While data is scarce on how many people use voice-enabled payments, the trend is rising. 31% of US consumers, according to Statista, will have adopted voice payments by 2022. Also, 57% of consumers said they would use voice technology to purchase low-priced goods and services, according to a Paysafe survey.
The survey also states that 53% would do it because it’s quicker and more convenient than traditional payment methods. Until reliable voice-print authentication is available, we agree with the 81% who said that they were more comfortable if a password was included in the process.
What this tells us is that people are waiting for a more secure method to pay through voice-activated methods. Yet, there is enough distrust that they still want to use a password for authentication. Still, the increased enthusiasm for adoption means that the needle is being pushed in the right direction.
3. Natural Language Processing Advancements
Probably the most impactful advancements are with Natural Language Processing (NLP for short). Not only are computers getting better at understanding Natural Language, but NLP can now handle inputs and outputs simultaneously. However, turning speech into the correct words is only half the battle. The real challenge is the NLU or Natural Language Understanding. Turning words into intentions. What did the person mean by the words? That’s where advancements in Contextual neural nets, which can translate important parts of entire paragraphs. This will help contextualize statements and give quicker responses.
4. Open Source Smart Home Standard
Apple, Google, Amazon, and many other players have teamed up to announce an open-source smart home standard. These companies intend to guarantee support for any smart home device that customers buy. This is regardless of the smartphone or voice assistant you’re using.
The implications of this team-up are huge. This means that platforms will be able to share technologies, updates, and even breakthroughs. According to Google, it will simplify product development and reduce costs. It will also support low energy connectivity, including low energy Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
These breakthroughs and changes in voice tech will not only bring about betterment in voice assistants, but they will also enable better functionality.
5. Fluent.ai at CES 2020
A new player has entered the voice-enabled AI market called Fluent.ai. They won the award for Innovation Honoree at CES 2020. The startup has been highlighted for its Multi-Wake Word and Intent Recognition tech.
Fluent.ai’s pull is that it’s multilingual and has a small footprint. That means that it can understand multiple languages and also can be used in small devices like sensors. The AI also has minimal storage and power requirements.
However, the best aspect of the Fluent.ai tech was its accuracy even in noisy environments, despite not being cloud-based. Hence, it delivered great precision and accuracy while safeguarding privacy via fully offline control. That hasn’t been possible in even the biggest voice assistants.
In addition to that, Fluent.ai announced a partnership with COMMAX to integrate with its smart home control devices. This is a new challenger in the space of AI voice assistants that is different in operation and philosophy from its big tech rivals.
