Digital Assistants
(Source: cnet.com)
Siri is cute, not literally, but she is more of a toy than an assistant. She’s not alone. Alexa, Cortana, and even Google Now would love to do more for you if they could. Even the original creators of Siri, SRI labs, are about to launch a more sophisticated assistant. We’ll hold our breath. The problem with today’s virtual assistants isn’t a matter of resistance to the artificial intelligence movement. We’re not even close to making something intelligent, let alone sentient. Our virtual assistants are limited by what we teach them. They are listening for key words, inflections, then responding with canned replies or search results. All the players in the VA sphere have made it clear, they intend to teach their respective assistants how to understand your intentions, not just reply to your questions. Expect the next level in 2017.
