By Brian X. Chen, Nico Grant and Karen Weise from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/fDqkbgp
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In recent years, Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant have become household names as voice assistants powered by artificial intelligence (AI) technology. However, a recent article by Brian X. Chen, Nico Grant, and Karen Weise in The New York Times reveals that these once-leading voice assistants have lost the AI race to competitors such as Amazon, Baidu, and Tencent.
One of the main reasons for this loss is the lack of progress made in developing more advanced AI technologies. While Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant were groundbreaking when they were first released, their progress has slowed down in recent years, allowing competitors to catch up and even surpass them. For example, Amazon has developed an AI system called "Alexa Conversations" that allows users to have more natural conversations with their devices, whereas Siri and Google Assistant still struggle with more complex queries.
Another factor is the lack of data that Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant have access to. Despite being used by millions of people around the world, these voice assistants only have access to limited amounts of data, compared to competitors like Baidu and Tencent, which have access to vast amounts of data from their respective user bases in China. This puts Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant at a disadvantage when it comes to training their AI algorithms to recognize and understand different languages and accents.
Lastly, the lack of interoperability between these voice assistants has also hindered their progress. Each assistant is designed to work only with the devices and platforms developed by its respective company, creating a fragmented ecosystem of voice assistants that cannot communicate with one another. This makes it difficult for developers to create new applications and services that can work across multiple voice assistant platforms.
In conclusion, while Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant were pioneers in the field of voice assistants, they have fallen behind in the AI race due to a lack of progress in developing more advanced technologies, limited access to data, and a lack of interoperability. As the competition heats up, it will be interesting to see how these voice assistants evolve and whether they can catch up to their competitors.