A Tetrad Analysis of Smart Speakers and Voice Assistants
An overview of the history, diffusion, effects and projections of Smart Speaker Technology
By Win La, Danielle Laqua, Arianna Johnson, and Kate Holstein
History & Core Components
Amazon announced its artificially intelligent Bluetooth speaker the Amazon Echo, which was first to air in November 2014. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos faced one major concern for Echo which was latency, or the time it took for Alexa, the name of the talking virtual assistant that powers Echo to respond to any query. The team was able to bring latency down to below 1.5 seconds, which exceeded the speed of its competitors. Echo’s biggest challenge was that there was no product of its kind in the market to refer to. Apple’s Siri software had been in use since 2011 (Apple, 2018) and Google Voice Search since 2009 (Rao, 2009), but the concept for Echo was fundamentally different because it has no screen for users to interact with. To succeed, the Echo and its built-in Alexa virtual assistant would need to be very responsive and conversational. It really had to feel like talking to a human being (Kim, 2016). Amazon successfully designed the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) to mimic real conversations and users use intuitive voice commands to get Alexa to perform specific tasks. In order to use Alexa, users need a device that integrates the voice technology such as an Amazon device like Echo, Dot, or Tap, but this cloud-based personal voice assistant has also been integrated with some third-party systems (Wetzel, 2018).
People can build their own Amazon Echo or something similar to it. Richard Quinnell, Editor-in-Chief said, “The AcuEdge development kit is a starting point for developers working on voice-activated systems…The kit contains a development module based on Microsemi’s ZL38063 Timberwolf audio processor preloaded with the company’s license-free AcuEdge audio processing software. There is also a cylindrical mounting frame to carry the electronics, looking a lot like the skeleton of an Amazon Echo. Developers, however, need to supply their own Raspberry Pi 3 or a similar processor board of their choice, to which the development board mounts. Developers also need a speaker to deliver the audio from AVS. Speaker choice is open for developers, but the frame is sized for a JBL Clip portable speaker. Once the hardware is assembled, the next thing needed is a developer’s account with Amazon AVS. Install the software from Microsemi’s GitHub, start up the Alexa service, and start talking with Alexa. The development board includes two microphones so that echo-canceling and beam-forming algorithms in the AcuEdge software package allow either 180° or 360° “listening” for user voice. The beamforming can localize the user to a 20° window to help reject noise from outside sources” (Quinnell, 2017).
Michael Nuñez said, “The device is one of the first always-on, voice-controlled intelligent home appliances that connect to the Internet and controls third-party services. It can answer trivia questions, tell you the weather, add items to a shopping list, and much more… The Echo is based on Amazon’s cloud-based voice service, Alexa, which can hear, comprehend, and resolve any question or command” (Nunez, 2015). The speaker is always listening, and it’s activated when the user says the name, Alexa. For instance, a user could say, “Alexa, what is the weather today?” and the device would respond with an answer. Not only that but Alexa also now has the ability to set up “routines” with the users. The user can ask Alexa to turn on or off the TV, set a sleep timer, snooze alarm, cancel the alarm, answer an incoming call, track packages from Amazon, add task to to-do list, check calendar events, create shopping list, and so many other things (Martin, Priest, 2018).
Diffusion
“As with telephone technology in the late 19th century, voice recognition is improving so rapidly that it is ‘ushering in a new era of faceless computing…” chief economist Shawn DuBravac
Since the invention of personal assistants such as Google Home, Siri, and the Amazon Alexa, their diffusion and adoption rates as a whole have notably risen. Author Irene McDermott notes “As with telephone technology in the late 19th century, voice recognition is improving so rapidly that it is ‘ushering in a new era of faceless computing,’ according to DuBravac” (2017). Shawn DuBravac mentioned by McDermott is the chief economist for the Consumer Technology Association. Although these three pieces of technology are all related and relatively similar in essence, reports indicate that as use of one has gone down, others devices have quickly replaced and exceeded their predecessor in terms of time users spend engaging with it. Specifically speaking, the use of Siri has gone down since the adoption of devices such as the Amazon Alexa (Perez 2017). As seen in the graph below, the Amazon Alexa went from being used seven hours per month to 18 hours per month only one year later. In other terms the use of the Amazon Alexa, according to analyst Sarah Perez, has grown 325% “in monthly, active users.” In real numbers that equates to going from 800,000 to 2.6 million monthly users (Perez 2017). Within the same year as the increased use of Alexa, Siri went from being used 39 hours per month to 14 hours. Despite the seemingly sharp decline in usage, it should be noted that users have not altogether stopped using Smart Speakers, but they have instead simply begun allocating their time toward newer technologies that offer more advanced capabilities for a lower cost. User preference has shifted from voice assistants within a phone, like Siri and S-Voice from Samsung, to in-home devices like Google Home and Alexa.
Although people of all ages and walks of life have adopted Smart Speaker technology, it is worth noting specifically what type of people utilize it most. According to Perez and researchers at Verto Analytics, women tend to use personal assistants only slightly more than men, with a 54 to 46 ratio (Perez 2017). Additionally, people with disabilities and older generations have been adopting Smart Speakers at a higher, quicker rate than other new technologies in the past (Perez 2017). According to John Koetsier, a Forbes analyst and author, Smart Speakers are being adopted by more than just early adopters, or technical “role models” as coined by Anabel Quaan-Haas (2016, p. 118), they are being used by parents, families, and Gen X women (Koetsier, 2018).
Due to this increasing growth in adoption, estimating the projected demands of Smart Speakers is necessary in order to fully analyze the effects of technologies like Alexa, Siri, and Google Home. According to Vidiemme Consulting from 2018 “analysts predict that the market will earn $56.3 million from the sale of Smart Speakers this year [2018], with Amazon and Google products being at the forefront” (Vidiemme). Koetsier uses a graph created by eMarketer to depict how much higher the new projections for Smart Speaker use is in the next two years.
With the current available research and future projections, it is safe to assume that Smart Speakers will continue to diffuse and be adopted at an increasing rate by more than just the traditional early technical adopters.
Societal Effects
Having systems such as Alexa, Google home, and Siri have impacted the lives of its users both positively and negatively. Below is a tetrad analysis of these technologies showing how it has likely impacted children’s lives as well as businesses in both of these ways.
Technologies such as Alexa, Google home, and Siri allow its users to complete tasks hands free because they are voice activated. This has had a positive effect on people who are disabled and/or elders. One article states their own experience of their parent who is in a nursing home: “seniors, who may not be tech-savvy and may not even own a computer or smartphone, can still take advantage of services on the Internet they would otherwise be cut off from(Pearl, 2018).” The article also talks about how after seeing how much her mother benefited from Alexa, they purchased one for their own home. Now, it is being used at their house to bring their family closer by playing games, allowing them to be hands-free form technology at dinner, and allowing their children to interact with it and play games without having to look at a screen.
“While investors pressure Apple to address youth phone addiction, health experts are warily optimistic about how kids interact with smart speakers.” Cornell researcher Solace Shen
With the increase in concern about children and adults being exposed to too much blue light resulting in vision impairment and/or loss, it is reasonable that parents are in favor of this screen-free form of entertainment. This topic is so popular and Apple is getting so much negative feedback for addictive smartphones that CNBC wrote an article on the effects of Amazon Echo and Google home on kids. The article states “While investors pressure Apple to address youth phone addiction, health experts are warily optimistic about how kids interact with smart speakers.” Solace Shen, a researcher at Cornell adds to the article by saying “she sees a big opportunity for educational content on these devices that doesn’t suck kids in the same way that a smartphone would (D’Onfro, 2018).” These devices allow children to play games without having to look at a screen as well as not needing another human to play with them. The downside to this is that children are having less human interaction and more interaction with a form of robots. Children also use these devices to ask questions, which causes some concern since studies have shown that these devices often get information wrong. Parents are also disturbed that their children can speak however they want to the device without the device correcting them, resulting in encouraging bad manners (D’Onfro, 2018).
Businesses on the other hand are concerned on the effect these devices will have on consumers shopping. A Forbes article predicts two principle impacts on retail and states: “First, it adds even more complexity to the shopping journey at a macro level. And second, it provides an incremental boost for Amazon, especially in terms of Prime memberships and grocery shopping.” Although devices such as Alexa add a new complexity of shopping, Forbes predicts that its most major impact will be on Amazon Prime members. “However, we do not think Alexa will impact the overall shopping landscape in the near term, as its lack of visuals will almost certainly limit it to niche status on the shopping journey” (Weinswig, 2017). The most common use for Alexa shopping is through Amazon Prime members placing re-orders on items such as groceries. Amazon even provides its users with an incentive of a $5 coupon for those who re-order certain items. Overall, Alexa is not posing a huge threat to the mass shopping channel, but it provides another incentive for consumers to create an Amazon or Amazon Prime account as those people will have the most benefit.
The Media dependency theory best describes how we experience this part of the world differently due to the use or adoption of this technology. Media dependency theory is the relationship between resource use and goal attainment. Devices such as Alexa, Google home, and Siri provide its users with this relationship. These devices are used to complete tasks to help its user(s) achieve something whether it be for individual or social gratification. From turning on the lights, shopping online, to children playing games, Alexa has been placed in many homes to fulfill our wants and more or less our needs.
Forecasted Effects
Smart Speakers such as Alexa or Google Home have become widely popular in people’s homes. Alexa can answer almost any question you ask and assist in many tasks. Cathy Pearl (2018) wrote an article about the societal benefits of smart speakers, which included: bringing people together, creating independence, and companionship. Pearl concludes her article stating that she believes that voice assistants are the first step to spending less time in front of screens.
It’s clear that our society has high levels of screen time (e.g. our phones, computers, tablets), but as voice assistants and Smart Speakers continue to grow, will our screen time decrease? According to NPR and Edison Research (2017), Smart Speakers are in fact replacing other technologies.
The number one technology these devices are replacing is traditional AM/FM radio. The main reason is because 71% of device owners are listening to more audio through Smart Speakers, and 28% of those who are listening to more audio are listening to podcasts and news talk (NPR & Edison Research, 2017). Also, the number one task requested for a Smart Speaker while spending time with friends and family is to play music. While traditional radios are slowly being replaced, so are screen-based technologies such as the smartphone and television.
Rachel Metz (2017) wrote an article about the potential impact on children with Artificial Intelligence (AI) devices. Metz introduces her article by telling readers about how her four year old niece is an early adopter to voice assistants like Alexa. While Metz is pleased that her niece can request songs at any moment, she is also concerned about how comfortable young children will be communicating and requesting from AI devices. As children grow up with devices who have human-like voices they will become comfortable, even to the point of sharing private information. We do not know the societal effects of young children and smart devices,which is something to be mindful about. Will children grow up to be lazy because Alexa fulfilled their every wish? Or will children be controlling because they were able to order Alexa to follow their every command? It is important to think about the of behavioral development in children as they are exposed to AI devices on an everyday basis.
In addition to Alexa’s growing popularity in children and families, Alexa and other voice assistants have also become an interest to law enforcement and criminal investigations (Orr & Sanchez, 2018). Alexa can become a vital tool of information and digital evidence when it comes to criminal investigations. Amazon’s smart home is activated by the wake word “Alexa,” which ques Alexa to begin recording the interaction. Users can log onto their Amazon account and view the documented recordings and timestamps of each interaction. Amazon claims that the recordings are stored on a server to help improve the user experience and Alexa’s capabilities. The data collected by Amazon through the smart devices can determine whether ot not a person of interest’s alibi is true. Orr & Sanchez (2018) research about Amazon’s Echo and criminal investigation concludes by saying Echo “does indeed possess data of evidentiary value” (p. 78). The information and data collected through Smart Speakers can help further investigations, which can be a huge benefit of the technology in society.
Lastly, Holy (2018) found that voice assistants have the potential to benefit those who suffer from dementia by providing a voice that can answer questions, no matter how many times asked, without getting impatient. Another potential that voice assistants have are the ability to translate in real time. Google is currently producing “earbuds that pair with its voice assistance for real-time voice translation” (Holy, 2018, p. 86). While the voice translation device is the first of its kind, there is potential that these devices can be useful for communication in many different settings (e.g. work, school, social).
Smart speakers and digital assistants are predicted to to play a bigger role in society. According to Tibler (2018), digital assistants are expected to control home appliances, lights, our phone, and more. The goal of advanced intelligence is to help us have ubiquitous communication with all of the technology we use everyday.
References
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