Voice assistant usage remains low

Type of Device Voice Assistant

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While voice assistants are becoming more ubiquitous in the US, adoption of the technology has yet to take off, according to newly published data from Pew Research Center.

In a May 2017 survey of 4,135 US adults, Pew found that 46% of respondents had used a voice-controlled digital assistant, such as Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Microsoft Cortana,at least once. 

While voice adoption is growing in the US as voice assistants improve and more voice-enabled devices come to market, the fact that fewer than half of US adults have engaged with a voice assistant in their lifetime shows how much growth lies ahead for voice assistants. 

The study yielded several key insights into the evolving voice assistant market:

• The smartphone is the most popular voice input device by a long shot. Of the consumers who rely on voice assistants, 42% of them use voice assistants on smartphones, 14% on tablets or computers, and just 8% on smart speakers. This suggests that consumers are five times more likely to use a voice assistant on a smartphone than on a smart speaker. This gives companies with a large smartphone footprint, like Apple and Google, an advantage in voice assistant usage over Amazon and Microsoft which rely on smart speakers and third party device integrations to maximize access.

• Voice assistant usage at home is lacking. Only 26% of voice assistant adopters use a voice assistant to control other devices in the home, such as a stereo, TV, thermostat, or lighting. It's likely that a majority of US consumers have yet to find compelling use cases for voice assistants to control their devices inside the home.

• There’s still room for improvement in voice assistant accuracy. When asked about the performance of voice assistants, the majority of adopters, 42%, found that assistants accurately responded to their commands only some of the time. Thirty-nine percent of adopters found that voice assistants accurately respond to their commands most of the time, while 16% said that it's not very often that assistants accurately respond to their voice commands.

While uptake of voice assistants lags now, it's bound to grow as Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft extend the reach of their respective assistants and release new features that offer distinct use cases. Sixty-one percent of respondents said they don't interact with voice assistants because they aren't interested in them, and 28% said it's because they lack access to the technology.

However, Google and Amazon are each making moves to address these concerns by adding new features and extending the availability of their voice assistants. Google Assistant is now available on Android smartphones running versions Android 5.0 Lollipop and up, meaning it will be supported on 80% of active Android smartphones, up from 53%.

In November, Amazon started rolling out Alexa Routines that enable consumers to set one customized voice input to initiate numerous tasks. For example, an Alexa user can craft a Routine triggered by the phrase, "Alexa, I'm going to sleep," to lock the doors, turn off the lights, and set the alarm, all at once, provided they have the right connected devices.

Jessica Smith, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on the voice assistant landscape that:

• Identifies the major changes in technology and user behavior that have created the voice assistant market that exists today. 

• Presents the major players in today's market and discusses their major weaknesses and strengths. 

• Explores the impact this nascent market poses to other key digital industries. 

• Identifies the major hurdles that need to be overcome before intelligent voice assistants will see mass adoption. 

 Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >> Learn More Now

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