Voice Gets Loud at CES

With voice apps being developed by seemingly every brand and voice assistants proliferating from Amazon Google Samsung and others right now voice is as hotly competitive as the streaming wars So in kicking off the track Scott Huffman vice president of engineering for the Google Assistant voice device emphasized Google39s focus on humanlike interactions rather than solely on engagement quotIt needs to be personal and interactive and contextualquot he explained quotand a natural way to ask for what you want and to get things donequot This natural flow works to help drive users39 daily routines from calling relatives to opening music streaming appsThis flow is especially important as our digitally driven world becomes more and more voiceactivated expanding beyond homes and smartphones and making its presence known in cars and even on bicycles As the power of voice grows we rely on industry pros such as Google39s Huffman to lead the conversation His presentation was followed by the panel discussion quotWelcome to VOICE Opportunities and Challenges for Brandsquot featuring several voice experts and led by MediaVillage39s own head of content strategy EB Moss who focused the session on quothow we use voice past engagementquotMoving beyond just engagement to having natural interactions with voiceenabled technology is vital because as Bret Kinsella founder and CEO of Voicebotai pointed out quotConvenience winsquotAs smart speaker interactions become more refined the ease with which users will be able to conduct onthego transactions and discover new content will increase exponentially Kinsella believes users are driven by convenience and claimed that it39s unwise for brands to put on blinders to that reality quotNo one is coming to save you from discoverabilityquot he saidRegardless of any challenges that brands might face the appeal of voice is clearly pervasive among consumers Panelist and vice president of strategy and marketing at Edison Tom Webster shined a spotlight on NPR and Edison39s winter 2019 Smart Audio Report revealing that there has been a 135 percent increase in smart speaker ownership over the past few years amp8212 from an average of 17 devices per household in December 2017 to 26 devices in December 2019 That means as many as one in four US adults own a smart speaker with 24 percent using voice commands on a daily basisWebster is optimistic about the rise of voice technology but acknowledges that there are some concerns that need to be addressed Smart speaker privacy and security have become points of anxiety for owners and nonowners alike he explained Security concerns might make potential users uncertain about buying a device while owners might be hesitant to experiment with different commands and uses quotNothing is more terrifying from a privacy standpoint than the smartphone in our pocketsquot he saidDespite these concerns Kinsella pointed out that many of the same users who express anxiety over smart speaker privacy and security are still purchasing voiceenabled devices He elaborated that while it39s an issue brands should pay heed to quotit39s not a big gulf between what consumers are saying and what they39re doingquotOther potential issues amp8212 the way users speak the way brands name their products and the way voice devices process speech amp8212 are interconnected Moss pointed out that brands should be concerned when it comes to clever wordplay in brand names such as her own Insider InSites podcastAlthough changing a few letters might not make much of a visual difference voice devices may affect how brands name their products in the near future posited Joan Palmiter Bajorek PhD head of conversational research ampamp strategy at Versa and founderdirector of Women in Voice She39s a firm believer that voice tech needs to evolve to address this concern quotWe shouldn39t have to beg for certain words to be added to the smart speaker lexiconquot she asserted Likewise creating unending tutorials for voice devices isn39t a viable solution as users crave a seamless experience and such a fix would only create more friction quotWe39re a ways off in meeting our users39 needs in terms of use casesquot Palmiter Bajorek explainedWebster looked even further into the future claiming that automotive voice tech is due to hit its stride in 2025 quotI think people are going to be talking to their cars a lot morequotKinsella likewise spoke as to what we can expect to see in the far future of voice claiming that we39ll see even more brands adopting voice technology quotIn 2025 I39m expecting the top 25 percent of brands will have their own voice systemquot He expects that brands will be able to expand what they offer consumers through voicePalmiter Bajorek has a small but mighty vision for the near future quotI want to stop us writing emailsquot Such an innovation could revolutionize the way we communicate with one another she said especially for elderly users who might not be able to type well due to afflictions such as arthritisWhether ordering a coffee making safer handsfree auto technology or changing up online shopping the future of voice is limitless quotVoice is really humblingquot said Danny Bernstein managing director Google product partnerships quotbecause we39re all still really trying to figure out what39s going onquotDespite the friction and fears some users might experience these industry pros are positive that any difficulties can be overcome as voice tech continues to develop over the next few years All that39s left to do is wait with bated breath to see if their wellinformed predictions come truePhoto at top from left to right EB Moss MediaVillage head of content strategy Bret Kinsella founder ampamp CEO of Voicebotai Joan Palmiter Bajorek PhD head of conversational research ampamp strategy at Versa Tom Webster vice president of strategy and marketing at EdisonTo read more about audio and voice at CES check out our additional coverageamp160hereClick the social buttons to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Voice Gets Loud at CES

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