Voice Technology: Past, Present, and Future

In 2020, more than 128 million people used voice technology interfaces to connect with every type of smart device available. Use rates are climbing steadily in 2021, and according to Google, 27% of the world's population has already used voice-assistant technology this year. 

Voice-powered user interfaces are becoming the norm, and every day, more customers are using voice to add value, utility, and convenience to their lives. Voice is taking off and becoming more and more a part of consumers' daily lives and expectations when purchasing new electronic devices. 

Adoption rates are steadily increasing as voice-controlled user interfaces become the standard in cars, mobile phones, computers, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, remote controls, and so many more of the world's newest consumer electronic devices. 

Voice technology is taking off, and it's the perfect time to capitalize on the astronomical growth of the emerging voice retail sales channel. 

 

We Can Hear You Clearly Now: Voice-Powered User Interfaces Completely Take Off 

Voice technology as we know it today would not have been possible without research conducted at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense. 

In April of 1976, Dr. Bruce T. Lowerre of Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Science program published a groundbreaking doctoral thesis titled The HARPY Speech Recognition System. The system Lowerre designed was the world's first proof of concept for a voice recognition interface and could interpret and understand more than 1,000 words. 

Dr. Lowerre's initial proof of concept research provided the foundation to build the modern voice technology interfaces Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, DuerOS, and Bixby that are becoming a part of so many people's lives worldwide. Voice integration took off thanks to consumer devices such as smart speakers, earbuds, and mobile phones. Still, consumers are starting to anticipate them in nearly every new type of smart electronic device coming to market. 

The technology driving voice recognition interfaces is constantly improving and providing consumers with the freedom to enjoy a new level of connectivity. Every day more people are completing core activities using voice technology interfaces, and there are big incentives available for firms that can capitalize on the breakout growth of this trend to deliver voice-powered interfaces to their mobile apps, websites, and ecommerce stores. 

Right now, consumers are beginning to expect and demand voice technology interfaces in products like washing machines, wearable electronics, and air conditioners, and there is an ever-growing number of use cases emerging as the technology improves. Many believe voice technology will become the preferred user interface that many users will prefer to interact with. 

Voice-powered interfaces are most popular for customers when they are multitasking. This is what has made smart speakers in homes such a breakout success. People love the ease and utility of being able to help solve problems as they are going about their lives. 

As voice controls become the standard on smart devices, the future of these technologies is well assured. There has never been a better time to design a voice interface for your company or online brand. 

 

Consumers Turn to Voice Technology to Make Their Lives Easier 

The growth of voice technologies is driven by the value these new interfaces add to people's lives. By delivering a simple and reliable voice technology solution to your website, your customers will find it much more seamless to use. It is important to remove as many obstacles as possible to provide voice interfaces that deliver a truly interactive and connective experience. 

The key innovations driving the potential of the modern voice technology industry are connected to the shift away from relying on cloud-powered processing. Many of the most successful early use cases for voice technologies, such as smartphones and speakers, relied on translating spoken language into a language processed by speech recognition algorithms powered by cloud storage devices. 

The most advanced audio processing solutions today have moved past the cloud to deliver improved voice interfaces with much lower latency rates for more accurate and reliable service. The result is a more streamlined and seamless experience for end-users. 

Improvements are happening all the time to make sound recognition systems more precise to reduce the amount of power necessary for these systems to operate. Though truthfully, the most critical factor for voice-powered interfaces to succeed with consumers hinges on their ability to deliver a reliable experience time and time again with limited onboarding or troubleshooting required. 

Advancements in signal-to-noise microphone technology developments make it much easier for voice technologies to operate seamlessly even while in noisier or busier locations. Voice technology solutions of the future need to work well with the largest subset of users possible and provide a valued experience that allows the public to control the world around them in exciting and profound new ways. 

Voice technologies are absolutely taking off. Blutag is proud to supply one of the world's most advanced white-label voice technology systems for business. Design a voice-powered interface for your website today. We can help.

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