Voice search is here to stay. The global market for hearable devices is expected to exceed $40 billion. The Indian market has seen enormous growth in voice searches in terms of seeking out automobile specifications or aligning in-home security features.
A combination of computer vision, vernacular speech recognition and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will shift the focus away from text to voice and video.
Presently more than 20 percent of search queries in India are already done by voice. And by 2020, 50 percent of all global searches will be voice searches. In fact, India is seeing 270 percent year-on-year growth in voice searches, as revealed by Google.
One of the reasons for the humongous growth is because the voice is faster than typing. Also, in rural areas, where people can’t read or write in English, this technology comes handy. Since the Indian market is one of the biggest and fastest-growing markets, big players like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home etc, are now focusing and placing bets on Indian languages and the Indian market.
Smart Speakers Drive Voice Search Adoption
Smart speakers are becoming more commonplace in households around the globe. Voice technologies have drastically improved, and new hardware like Google Home and Apple HomePod are now moving into the marketplace, with other tech giants rushing to release their own smart speaker technology and integrations to keep pace with consumer demand.
Voice AI and Machine Learning are Improving
Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning have made a huge impact on how we interact with our smart devices and search the internet. Google’s RankBrain is a prime example, designed to recognize words and phrases in order to learn and better predict outcomes.
When RankBrain encounters a phrase, it has never heard before, it actually makes its best “guess” as to the searcher’s meaning and intent, then delivers appropriate matching answers. This ability to “think” makes AI such as RankBrain more effective at handling unexpected search queries.
Global Mobility of Voice Search Devices
Google’s voice search on mobile devices is now available in over 100 languages. As far back as 2016, Google reported that 20% of searches on its apps and Android devices were performed using voice search.
Internet of Things
Perhaps the most significant impact of voice will be seen in IoT devices. With embedded chips in pretty much every device or gadget, which can be then linked to the Internet, one could actually “talk” to any device.
So, you could ask a light bulb to switch itself on or off; or you can ask your fridge to order supplies via your preferred e-grocery store; or you can ask your washing machine to place a service request with the manufacturer.
And then, of course, you could have a driverless car that not only ferries you from one place to another based on your voice command, but can actually have a conversation with you based on your mood, play music of your choice or book a spa for you on your way back from the office.
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