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Nuance's AI uses real interactions to make chat bots smarter
Many high profile brands and companies have a customer service chat bot function on their website. Indeed, some research suggests that by 2020 conversational AI will be the main go-to for customer support in large organizations. But as the current technology stands, it's only as effective as the manual programming that's gone into its creation, and relies on the customer asking the right questions or including the right keywords to send the bot down the right branch of script. Today, though, Nuance Communication has announced a new technology that aims to make the conversational intelligence of chat bots a whole lot smarter.
Samsung's Galaxy Home is here at CES, and you can (sort of) talk to it
When Samsung revealed its oddly shaped, Bixby-powered Galaxy Home last year, many of expected the company to launch it immediately. That, uh, didn't happen. It's been five months since then, and Samsung still refuses to discuss when its first smart speaker will go on sale, or how much it'll cost when it does. Hell, even though Samsung has trotted out the speaker a few times since that day in Brooklyn, it generally hasn't let members of the public actually talk to it. At this year's CES, though, that changed — sort of.
Microsoft patent suggests you inhale whisper to your voice assistants
While voice assistants have grown in popularity over recent years, many people still hesitate to use them in public spaces, and that's a problem Microsoft is looking to tackle. In a patent filing, the company notes that for a number of reasons -- not wanting to disturb those nearby, not wanting to share private information around strangers -- people often avoid issuing voice commands when in public. "Although performance of voice input has been greatly improved, the voice input is still rarely used in public spaces, such as office or even homes," says the patent filing. "These are not technical issues but social issues. Hence there is no easy fix even if voice recognition system performance is greatly improved."
Russian search giant Yandex is making phones now
After self-driving cars and smart speakers, Russian search engine giant Yandex is getting into smartphones. Its debut handset, fittingly titled "Yandex.Phone," is an entry-level Android device that's hooked up to its massive ecosystem. That essentially means it comes pre-loaded with Yandex's software -- including its GPS, music, and weather apps.
Google-backed startup's chat bots turn ads into conversations
AdLingo, a marketing platform fresh out of Google's Area 120 incubator program, is making advertisements "conversational" with the help of AI. AdLingo doesn't build its own chatbots, but instead connects third-party chatbot tools with a company's marketing department.
Recommended Reading: The accent struggle for Alexa and Google Assistant
The accent gap Drew Harwell, The Washington Post Smart speakers (and the virtual assistants they house) offer voice control for so many connected devices it's hard to keep count. Those audio gadgets can also assist with a range of questions -- that is, if they can understand you. The Washington Post took a close look at the performance of Alexa and Google Assistant when it comes to understanding people with strong accents. The results show that while these devices are certainly handy and increasingly popular, there's still a lot of room for improvement.
Apple's Shortcuts app lets Siri do everything
It's no secret that Apple's virtual assistant, Siri, doesn't have the best reputation -- especially when you compare it to Google's incredibly smart counterpart. But, the company has been working hard recently to make Siri more useful for those of you with an iOS or Mac device. And today, Apple announced that Siri is getting smarter thanks to a new app called Shortcuts, which will let you build your own commands with any application. With the Tile app, for example, you can say "Hey Siri, I lost my keys," and that will then alert the tiny gadget attached to your keys.
Ubisoft's AI-powered gaming assistant is now available
We got a sneak peek at Ubisoft's gamer-centric virtual assistant this past January, but it was only out in Canada in a sort of soft launch. Now, the helpful chatbot named Sam — part of the Ubisoft Club mobile app — is available to everyone worldwide, but still only in English.
Bank of America's AI assistant is ready to help with your finances
We've been expecting voice-powered virtual assistants in financial apps for a while now — Bank of America started developing its own back in 2016. Dubbed Erica, the virtual assistant is now ready to roll out to the bank's 25 million mobile clients across the US, from now through June of this year.
One year later, Bixby is still half-baked
Oh, Bixby. What am I going to do with you? It's been a year since we first tried the virtual assistant on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, and since then we've seen relatively little in terms of substantive improvements. It certainly doesn't help that Injong Rhee, Samsung's CTO and Bixby's de facto steward, recently left the company for a gig at Google. Few things seem more disheartening for Bixby's future than that.
Microsoft is reportedly testing Cortana in Outlook mobile
Microsoft is reportedly testing an integration of Cortana and Outlook mobile. Sources told The Verge that the company is working on a version of Outlook for iOS and Android that has Cortana built right in and would allow users to ask Microsoft's virtual assistant to read and reply to emails for them. With such an integration, you could, for example, ask Cortana to read you your emails or ask her to just read messages from specific people -- all of which would be very useful for people on the go.
Archos' 'Hello' smart displays are powered by Google Assistant
As Google Assistant continues to get smarter every day, more and more companies are making hardware that's compatible with the platform. The latest one is Archos, which has introduced a couple of Google Assistant-powered smart displays at MWC 2018, adequately dubbed "Hello." Like with other similar products, you can use the Hello display to ask Google for a variety of things, such as the weather, recipes or news. The benefit here of course, compared to something like the Home Mini, is that you can actually view your search results on a screen, as opposed to just hearing what the Assistant has to say.
Google Assistant will get support for Routines 'in the coming weeks'
Today's Google Assistant is much, much more capable than the version that first debuted on the original Pixel and Pixel XL. Don't expect that progress to slow anytime soon, either: Google laid out some new plans to improve the Assistant just in time for Mobile World Congress, and they extend far beyond just teaching it more languages.
Amazon is reportedly designing AI chips to improve Alexa
Amazon has begun designing its own AI chips, according to an exclusive report from The Information. The hardware is designed for anything powered by Alexa, including the Echo, and would allow the virtual assistant to respond more quickly by adding speech recognition directly to the device.
Ubisoft's Sam is a virtual assistant meant solely for gamers
Apple has Siri, Amazon has Alexa, and now, Ubisoft has Sam. Yes, really. It's a virtual assistant geared specifically toward gaming, and Ubisoft has started to weave a beta version of the service into its Ubisoft Club companion app... well, for Canadian gamers, anyway. Ubisoft is clearly treating Sam as a test balloon of sorts, meant to gather data and gauge people's reactions to the idea of a game-fluent concierge. After a brief demo, though, it seems pretty clear that not everyone will find Sam useful in the short term.
Google won the voice assistant popularity contest at CES
CES 2018 kicked off with a major Google presence on the show's front doorstep. Nathan's already explained why the company may have decided to appear at the world's biggest tech show with such strength, but halfway through the show, I get the feeling that the gambit's paying off. Google Assistant is eroding the lead established by Amazon's Alexa, arguably the internet company's biggest voice assistant rival, and it's doing it with better devices, wider functionality... and free donuts for anyone at CES.
Panasonic and Alexa Onboard bring offline voice control to your car
At CES today, Panasonic announced a partnership with Amazon that will bring Alexa to your car. Dubbed Alexa Onboard, it works with Panasonic's Skip Gen IVI technology and is meant to make life with your virtual assistant more seamless as you move from your home to your vehicle.
Amazon is reportedly looking to feature more Alexa ads (updated)
Last week, CNBC reported that Amazon had big plans for its online ad business in 2018 and was looking into moving its advertisements beyond its own sites and products. Now it appears that Amazon is also interested in placing more ads on Alexa, according to CNBC sources.
Amazon wants Alexa to be your new office assistant
Alexa could soon be coming to work with you. At Amazon's annual re:Invent conference, the company revealed its plans to make the voice-activated virtual assistant office-friendly with an Alexa for Business platform, which will come with specific skills for the workplace.
Oprah will be Alexa’s first celebrity-voiced shopping assistant
Alexa is getting its first celebrity voice. To go along with the Oprah's Favorite Things storefront on Amazon, users of Alexa-enabled devices can have Oprah herself guide them through this year's 102 favorite things. To do so, you'll just have to say, "Alexa, let's shop Oprah's Favorite Things." Oprah will then describe one of the products on her list and tell you why she recommends it. If you want to buy it, say "yes," if you don't, say "no," and Oprah will move on to another item.
