Voice Assistants Becoming 'Conversational' Platforms: Futuresource

The virtual assistant market is on track to advance 2% this year to 2.1 billion shipments and 3.1 billion by 2026, said an August Futuresource report. “After strong rebound following the disturbance caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual positive trajectory for the virtual assistant (VA) market will be curtailed this year,” said analyst Simon Forrest, citing chip shortages, supply chain disruption and a “deteriorating global economic situation.” Google Assistant has the largest market share globally -- on nearly one in every two voice-enabled devices -- due to its availability on Android smartphones, Forrest said. Apple’s Siri is found on one in every four devices, and Amazon Alexa ranks third, with one in six voice-enabled devices integrating the VA. By 2026, almost three fourths of CE devices sold will have either built-in or works-with assistant capability, Forrest said, saying voice interfaces are moving toward more “conversational platforms.” VA companies are gearing up for an “ambient intelligent world, in which AI and compute become all-pervasive, yet recede into the background by being more closely integrated into the environment,” said the analyst. Voice interfaces will become smarter and more powerful, while being embedded into more products, he said.