Voice assistants are these advanced pieces of software that possess the ability to converse with the users by utilizing voice recognition, language processing algorithms, and voice synthesis (“What is a Voice Assistant”, 2019) in order to perform different tasks and obey a variety of commands. This astounding technology has managed to relieve the burden of everyday, miniscule tasks whilst also acting as an important development in the history of machine-human interaction. Voice assistants operate depending on their pre-existing tasks and their responsibilities: Siri is able to tell what the weather is in Florida and where the closest high-rated restaurant is located from a handheld mobile, Alexa can play jazz through the whole house, Google Assistant can adjust the lights and temperature to fit the user’s liking (Shih, 2020). Each of these amazing assistants have developed one after the other, being able to carry out more commands and cater to users more efficiently as time goes on. This advancement in Information Technology is significant in today’s society because it has taken up the burden of daily tasks which has led to an increase in productivity and time amongst humans.
However, every technological tool proposes a downside as well. Voice assistants are known for being quite vulnerable to cyber-attacks, as well as recording private user information and audio without permission (Bolton, 2021). This can cause many problems for users: their information can easily be tampered with, there would be a lack of trust between humans and this software, this breach in privacy could potentially put off future users and put the advancement of voice assistants in jeopardy. The flaws associated with voice assistants possess the ability to cause serious legal and security trouble. It is important to uncover the cons of voice assistants so that this software can be fixed and have the chance to advance in the future.
The future for voice assistants is looking brighter as more Americans everyday commit to owning this type of software. An estimated 1 out of 4 U.S. adults is currently in possession of a smart speaker and a staggering 92.3 percent of smartphone users will be using voice assistants by 2023 (Clearbridge, 2021). People are becoming more reliant on tools, like voice assistants, because there has been a major shift in the world that has to do with technology-human interface. This software is successfully helping users function through daily life by taking up certain responsibilities, which in turn is building the relationship between humans and technology. This essay discusses the current use of voice assistants, the security and legal aspects, the ethical and social implications, and the future in order to analyze the great impact that this amazing software has had on daily life and society as a whole.