Data war transforms into the Voice war

The war gets intense over privacy concerns of companies continuously gathering data from nearly every room in your home. With technology getting disrupted, we are entering into the new space of voice analytics. Amazon has Alexa, Apple has Siri, Google has Google Assistant, Microsoft has Cortana, and Samsung has Bixby. 

Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and other digital voice assistants rely on speech-recognition technology to interpret commands and determine appropriate responses. These voice assistants want consumers to tell their gadgets what to do. 

So along with the war for data, another war has started simultaneously - the Voice war among Siri vs. Alexa vs. Google Assistant. Let’s understand on how we are getting handicapped day by day and what is the fundamental difference between Alexa and Siri. 

Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa fall into the same category but it is about the differences between these voice AIs. It is all about each utterance sharpening the machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities.

Now a question comes as how Apple is allowing Alexa to be installed on the devices as they are both virtual personal assistants made by two of the biggest technology companies. They both answer questions, add things to shopping lists, control your smart lights, and tell awesome dad jokes.  

In reality, Siri and Alexa are pretty different; in fact, sometimes it seems as though the only thing they have in common is that they both respond to voice. Siri is on Apple mobile devices (and Apple TV); Alexa is on speakers (and Amazon Fire TV). Siri is tightly controlled by Apple; Amazon has welcomed developers to the Alexa party by allowing them to create all kinds of "skills." Siri needs to be close to you; Alexa can hear you from across the room. And that's just the start!

Secondly, when we compare between Alexa and Google-Assistant, it enables speakers work differently. Both can currently dial out with simple voice commands; on Alexa however you can only receive calls from other Echo speakers, while cell and landline calls are not supported. Google Assistant can't receive calls. Unlike calling, you can send messages from HomePod, as well as from Alexa and Google Assistant. 

Let’s understand on how the technology is getting proliferated - the Speech-recognition software converts sound waves in a person’s voice, captured by a microphone, into different vibration patterns. The software’s algorithms then use machine learning to train a device to identify those patterns as words and phrases. The more the algorithms catalogue spoken language, the better the software becomes at interpreting speech. Add in GPS, mapping software and data gathered by cameras, accelerometers and other sensors, and a voice assistant such as Alexa or Apple’s Siri begins to build the context. For example, when you ask about a nearby restaurant, it will give driving directions to get you there.

Amazon, Google and Apple can gather information not just on shopping preferences and other internet activities, but also about how they behave and interact with one another at home. All these companies are having complete information on what we do online and when we make purchases.

It isn’t clear who should have access to what data, because it will be contributed by different members of the household. These voice assistants are getting popular among the kids to use as toys but with this, the privacy boundaries between us are getting exposed and a  complex technology like this is getting even kids to behave like an adult.