Voice Assistants 56 Stories

Virtual digital assistants like Siri, Alexa, Google Home, and Cortana use AI to recognize and respond to voice commands. We report on how much better they're getting—and how much spookier.

Artificial Intelligence

Software that swaps out words can now fool the AI behind Alexa and Siri

by Will Douglas Heaven
2020-02-07T12:10:48-05:00

person using a laptop

Artificial Intelligence

Google says its new chatbot Meena is the best in the world

by Will Douglas Heaven
2020-01-30T05:25:11-05:00

Humans and Technology

Should colleges really be putting smart speakers in dorms?

Administrators say installing listening devices like Alexa in student bedrooms and hallways could help lower dropout rates. Not everyone agrees.

by Kathryn Miles
2019-12-27T07:00:04-05:00

Letterpress characters

Artificial Intelligence

Baidu has a new trick for teaching AI the meaning of language

Inspired by a difference between Chinese and English, it shows how AI research benefits from diversity.

by Karen Hao
2019-12-26T14:23:54-05:00

A woman uses her voice assistant on her phone.

Artificial Intelligence

How Apple personalizes Siri without hoovering up your data

The tech giant is using privacy-preserving machine learning to improve its voice assistant while keeping your data on your phone.

by Karen Hao
2019-12-11T04:00:17-05:00

Illustration of two Alexa devices chatting with each other

Artificial Intelligence

Inside Amazon’s plan for Alexa to run your entire life

The creator of the famous voice assistant dreams of a world where Alexa is everywhere, anticipating your every need.

by Karen Hao
2019-11-05T04:43:22-05:00

A baby sleeping in a cot has their breathing monitored remotely

Artificial Intelligence

“Alexa, monitor my baby.” A smart-speaker app can monitor an infant’s breathing.

by Charlotte Jee
2019-10-17T06:56:31-04:00

Illustration of a cell phone with a talkative voice assistant

Artificial Intelligence

Tiny AI models could supercharge autocorrect and voice assistants on your phone

by Karen Hao
2019-10-04T04:00:38-04:00

Photo illustration showing people in speach bubbles around a smart speaker

Humans and Technology

Alexa will be your best friend when you’re older

From friendly personal assistant to companion to … spouse?

by Tanya Basu
2019-08-30T06:00:13-04:00

An image of a voice assistant device next to sound waves

Artificial Intelligence

Nvidia just made it easier to build smarter chatbots and slicker fake news

Chip maker Nvidia is betting that AI’s language skills will advance rapidly—it’s releasing a powerful tool for putting together chatty programs.

by Will Knight
2019-08-13T09:15:31-04:00

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