Virtual assistant facts for kids

Google Assistant on a Pixel XL smartphone

A virtual assistant (VA) is a computer program that helps you with tasks. It can understand your commands or questions. You can type to it, click on things, or even talk to it. Some virtual assistants can understand what you say. They can also talk back to you using a computer voice.

You can ask your virtual assistant questions. You can also tell it to control smart devices in your home. It can play music or help you manage your emails. It can also keep track of your to-do lists and calendars. All of this can be done just by speaking.

Some popular virtual assistants you might know are Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung Bixby. Many companies also use virtual assistants to help their customers.

In recent years, new AI chatbots like ChatGPT have made virtual assistants even smarter. These new tools can do many more things.

How Virtual Assistants Started

Early Ideas and Experiments: 1910s–1980s

The idea of voice control is quite old. In 1922, a toy dog named Radio Rex was released. It would come out of its house when someone called its name. This was the first toy that reacted to a voice.

In 1952, Bell Labs showed off "Audrey." This machine could recognize spoken numbers. It was very large and used a lot of power. Audrey could help with voice dialing. But it was often easier to just press buttons.

Another early voice tool was the IBM Shoebox. It was shown to the public in 1962. This computer could understand 16 spoken words and the numbers 0 to 9.

In the 1960s, a computer program called ELIZA was created. It was one of the first chatbots. ELIZA could have simple conversations. It used patterns to respond, making it seem like it understood. People sometimes felt like they were talking to a real person. This feeling is now called the ELIZA effect. It means we sometimes think computers act like humans.

In the 1970s, scientists worked on making voice recognition better. At Carnegie Mellon University, they created "Harpy." This system could understand about 1,000 words. That's like the vocabulary of a three-year-old! Harpy could understand sentences by following rules for words and grammar.

In 1986, IBM made "Tangora." This was a voice-recognizing typewriter. It could understand 20,000 words. It also tried to guess the next word based on what was said before. But you still had to train it to your voice. You also had to pause between each word.

The Rise of Smart Assistants: 1990s–2010s

In the 1990s, voice recognition came to personal computers. Companies like IBM and Philips offered this technology. The first smartphone, the IBM Simon, came out in 1994. This helped set the stage for modern virtual assistants.

In 1997, Dragon's Naturally Speaking software was released. It could turn natural speech into text without pauses. It could type 100 words per minute. Many doctors still use a version of this software today.

In 2001, Colloquis launched SmarterChild. This was a text-based virtual assistant. It worked on chat programs like AIM and MSN Messenger. SmarterChild could play games, check the weather, and answer questions.

The first modern virtual assistant on a smartphone was Siri. Apple introduced Siri on the iPhone 4S in October 2011. Apple bought the company that made Siri in 2010. Siri helps with tasks like sending texts or setting alarms. Over time, it learned to give restaurant tips and directions.

In November 2014, Amazon launched Alexa with the Echo smart speaker. In 2016, Salesforce introduced Einstein, an AI assistant for businesses.

Large Language Models: 2020s and Beyond

In the 2020s, new AI systems became very popular. ChatGPT, launched in November 2022, can create human-like text. It quickly gained attention for its detailed answers. This made people even more interested in virtual assistants.

In February 2023, Google introduced "Bard." This experimental service also generates text responses. It uses information from the internet to answer questions.

While these new AI chatbots can do many things, some virtual assistants are made for specific tasks. They are designed to help in certain situations or with particular needs.

How You Talk to Virtual Assistants

An Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker with Alexa

Virtual assistants can work in a few ways:

• Text: You can type to them in online chats or text messages. Some businesses use text-based virtual assistants for customer service.
• Voice: You can talk to them. This is how you use Amazon Alexa on Echo devices or Siri on an iPhone. You might say "Hey Siri" or "OK Google" to wake them up.
• Images: Some assistants can understand images. For example, Google Assistant can use Google Lens to recognize objects in pictures.

Many virtual assistants let you use different ways to interact. You can chat, use voice commands, or even use images. This makes them very flexible. Virtual assistants use something called natural language processing (NLP). This helps them understand what you say or type. Some even learn over time using artificial intelligence.

Where You Find Virtual Assistants

An Apple TV remote. You can ask Siri to find shows with it.

Virtual assistants are built into many different devices:

• Smart Speakers: Like Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod.
• Messaging Apps: You can find them in apps like Facebook Messenger.
• Phone and Computer Systems: Siri is on iOS devices. Cortana used to be on Microsoft Windows computers.
• Smartphones: Some phones have their own built-in assistants, like Bixby on Samsung Galaxy phones.
• Other Places: You can find them in cars, home appliances, and even some smart clothing.

Older virtual assistants often worked on websites or over the phone.

What Virtual Assistants Can Do

Virtual assistants offer many helpful services:

• Information: They can tell you the weather or facts from Wikipedia. They can also set alarms and make lists for you.
• Entertainment: They can play music from streaming services like Spotify. They can also play radio stations or read audiobooks.
• Media Control: They can play videos or TV shows on your television.
• Shopping: You can use them to buy things online. This is called conversational commerce.
• Customer Help: Businesses use them to answer customer questions 24/7. This can make customer service faster.
• Driving: They can make driving easier by helping you control things in your car.

Helping Customers

Virtual assistants can work with customer support teams. They can provide help to customers all day, every day. They give quick answers, which makes customers happier.

Extra Features

Companies like Amazon and Google let developers create "Skills" or "Actions." These are like small apps that run on the virtual assistant platforms.

Keeping Your Information Private

Virtual assistants have some privacy concerns. Because they listen for a "wake word," they are always listening. This means the device is always ready to hear you.

Google Assistant Privacy

Google Assistant says it does not save your audio unless you give permission. But it might save what you say in text form. This helps it learn and give you better answers. You can turn off personalization in the settings. If you allow it, audio files are sent to the cloud. Google uses these to make the assistant better.

Amazon Alexa Privacy

Amazon's Alexa says it only listens when you use a wake word like "Alexa." It starts recording after the wake word and stops after 8 seconds of silence. The recordings are sent to the cloud. You can delete these recordings from the cloud in the Alexa app.

Apple's Siri Privacy

Apple says it does not record audio to make Siri better. Instead, it uses text versions of what you say. This text data is only sent if it's important for analysis. You can choose not to send this data to the cloud at any time.

Why People Like Virtual Assistants

New Ways to Interact

Virtual assistants offer new ways to interact with technology. This is one reason they are so popular.

• Convenience: Sometimes, talking is the easiest way to do something. It lets you use your hands for other things. It also helps people with disabilities.
• Speed: Talking is often faster than typing. You can speak about 200 words per minute. Typing is usually around 60 words per minute. It also feels more natural.

• Saving Time: Virtual assistants can save you a lot of time. They can schedule appointments or read the news while you do something else. They can also help you organize your day. For example, a virtual assistant might suggest the best time for a break.

What People Think About Them

A study showing why people are interested in virtual assistants.

A study from 2019 found two main reasons people use virtual assistants: they find them useful and they enjoy using them. Both reasons are very important for people wanting to use a virtual assistant.

The study also found:

• The quality of the information the assistant gives is very important. It makes the assistant seem useful and enjoyable.
• How good the assistant looks (if it has a screen) also makes it more enjoyable.
• How much the assistant can do automatically makes it seem more useful.

How Developers Create Assistants

Many companies offer tools for developers to build virtual assistants:

• Amazon Lex: This tool helps developers create conversational interfaces.
• Google provides Actions on Google and Dialogflow: These platforms let developers create "Actions" for Google Assistant.
• Apple provides SiriKit: This allows developers to create extensions for Siri.
• IBM's Watson: This is a powerful AI platform. It helps power many virtual assistants and chatbots.

In the past, text-based virtual assistants often had a visual character. These were called "embodied agents."

Why Virtual Assistants Are Important for Business

Virtual assistants are not just for individuals. They are also very useful for businesses. For example, a virtual assistant can act like an assistant who is always available. It can have a huge amount of knowledge. It can also organize meetings, check inventory, and verify information.

Virtual assistants are especially helpful for small and medium-sized businesses. They can be an easy first step into using Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Many businesses see IoT as important but too complex or costly. Virtual assistants can make it easier to start.

Experts believe that digital experiences, like those with virtual assistants, are becoming as important as real-life experiences. The number of people using virtual assistants is growing fast. In mid-2017, about 1 billion people worldwide used digital virtual assistants often. This technology is now used in many industries, like cars, phones, shopping, and healthcare.

The market for speech recognition technology is growing very quickly. It is expected to be worth over $7.5 billion by 2024. Studies predict that by 2021, there will be more voice AI-capable devices than people in the world. Google Assistant is expected to be the most popular.

Companies in North America, like Nuance Communications and IBM, are expected to lead this industry. This is partly because more people are using their own devices for work. The demand for smartphone assistants is also boosting growth. The Asia-Pacific region is also growing fast, especially in India and China.

Keeping Virtual Assistants Secure

In May 2018, researchers found a security risk. They showed that hidden audio commands could be put into music or speech. These commands are too quiet for humans to hear. But virtual assistants could hear them. This could make the assistant do things without the user knowing. For example, it could dial phone numbers or open websites. This problem affects devices from Apple, Amazon, and Google.

Another risk is someone pretending to be you. An attacker could use your voice to trick your virtual assistant. They might unlock a smart door or order things online. Some virtual assistants let you train them to recognize your voice. But it can still be hard for the system to tell similar voices apart. So, a bad person might be able to fool the system.

Comparing Popular Assistants

See also

In Spanish: Asistente virtual para niños