Personal Assistants: Why Do We Use Them?
This is the longest amount of time I’ve spent home in about eight years. With that extended amount of time, patterns of how people navigate daily life started to emerge, and one thing that I constantly observed is that my mother and grandfather both opt to use speech-to-text rather than type on a physical keyboard. So many products are voice-enabled now, and in order to get a clearer image of how people around me navigate these devices, I decided to host a short survey. The survey asks a few questions about if and how respondents use voice-enabled technology and if said technology is useful in their opinion. I also opted to let people give their own opinion on voice-enabled technology and personal assistants at the end if they chose to.
When given free rein to respond, users reported a wide range of thoughts on technology. A few people seemed to think that the field has potential, while one response stated that they were concerned about having a device that has the ability to listen to them at all times. I tend to share these opinions as well. Another common response in this category was that they don’t utilize this technology much or at all, but these respondents tended to still have an overall positive view of this technology. This positive view can also be seen in the question “On a scale of 1–5, how convenient are voice-enabled devices for you?” This question skewed more towards the devices being convenient, with an average being 3.4 out of 5. With the amount of positive feedback, it was surprising to see the results for how often people use this technology.
Half of the people who responded claimed that they only use voice-enabled devices about one to three times per week, and 30% of responses being in the one to three times per day category. The remainder claimed they don’t utilize these devices at all, and no one claimed to frequently use this technology. This might actually make more sense than initially thought, while also making this technology fall into the category of ubiquitous computing than I personally predicted. These personal assistants, for the most part, are completely invisible. Especially the smaller devices like the echo dot and home mini, which can easily disappear on a counter or shelf in a living room. They quietly wait for the user to summon them, springing into action only after hearing a phrase like “okay google.” They are ready to help us, but only when we ask. This is especially helpful for short queries or for help with setting a timer when your hands may be occupied during a task like cooking. These devices don’t have to be used a lot to be useful. They just have to be there for us when we need them.
That’s why we need these devices to be everywhere, because if they aren’t there at that one particular moment that we need them, the invisible usefulness falls apart. In Beyond Weiser: From Ubiquitous to Collective Computing, Gregory D. Abowd uses the term “shroud” to describe the technology that surrounds and blankets us. To become completely useful, these devices need to shroud us. If they don’t, the illusion of having an assistant to set timers, give directions, or tell us the weather can disappear quickly. With every smartphone having some sort of personal assistant embedded this becomes less of a concern. What does seem to be a concern with the prevalence of these devices though, is the concern about privacy.
Trust is very important, and with an internet-connected microphone, trust has to be one of the first concerns of companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft. One of the respondents stated concerns over having a device that is always listening, and given some of the histories of these tech companies, their concern isn’t unfounded. For tech enthusiasts like myself, our trust was broken by Microsoft back in 2019 when it was discovered that contractors were listening to recordings made through the personal assistant within Xboxes. While one may agree to be recorded in a terms of service that spans 10 pages, that agreement was only so the user could get their device set up. Not only that, but rejection of the terms of service usually leaves the user at a standstill. Most of these devices won’t let you complete setup until you check the agree box. In order to even play games on the console, an agreement to be recorded had to be made, and most of those people who agreed probably did it unknowingly. Even worse, it was discovered that Cortana, Microsoft’s assistant, would activate randomly, leaving it to record random conversations that were happening in the room. Most reasonable people would see this as a major invasion of privacy, especially if they knew that their conversations were being listened to by real people. Obviously there’s an easy fix to this problem, and that is being straight forward with their customers. Additionally, allowing users to opt-out would be helpful as well. While privacy should be a major focus of these companies, there is plenty of advancements to be made in the field of personal assistants.
Beyond privacy, it seems these companies could spend time expanding the use of these devices and improving the device’s ability to understand users. That is no easy feat, and that may have been the reason Microsoft was sending their recordings off-site. Training AI to understand things like slang, accents, and the way speech changes is a monumental undertaking. If companies improve their ability to recognize new accents and languages, they could cast a wider net for users. Without newer features and expanding into new utilities, maybe these devices may be stuck being a novelty for most users.
That’s not for me, or the 10 people I surveyed to decide though. I’m sure that devices have a wealth of utility for people with issues like impaired vision. Personal devices are also still a very young technology. Siri is only turning 9, and given enough time like the personal computer, personal assistants could become an essential device that everyone has. At the start of the 21st century, responses about PCs would likely mirror the results I received about these personal assistants. With 80% of people surveyed stating they at least use personal assistants to some extent proves that it is a field worth exploring. Once accuracy is solved it will be exciting to see where else companies take this technology.
Being able to get a quick note from my personal assistant saying that I left the door unlocked and that it’s been locked for me. Hearing my google home notify me that my laundry cycle is complete since the living room is too far to hear the washing machine. This may be a very northern wish as well, but being able to call out, “Hey Alexa, can you autostart the car for me” would be a wonderful luxury. There are many new things these devices could, and probably will do soon enough. I can’t wait to use it, and I hope consumers are patient enough not to discredit these devices as a novelty too soon.
