Voice-activated assistants are adding millions of users per year. In 2021, there might be more voice assistants around the globe than people. A report from the UN agency that collates studies of smart voice assistants collected some fascinating data that proves that AI technology is not the future but the present. The technology research firm Canalys estimates that approximately 100 million smart speakers – essentially hardware designed for users to interact with voice assistants – were sold globally in 2018 alone.

Priya Abani, Amazon’s director of Alexa Voice Service, told Wired magazine: ‘We basically envision a world where Alexa is everywhere - well they are winning. According to The Atlantic, the ecosystem that has developed around Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant now includes 20,000 smart home devices representing more than 3,500 brands, and Alexa’s voice is present in more than 100 third-party gadgets, such as automobiles, headphones and security systems.

AI assistants are becoming part of the family, and the study shows that they are being placed in rooms where you would most likely congregate. According to the report, 45.9% of owners opt for the living room, 41.4% put them in kitchens, and 36.8% go for the bedroom. Interestingly, only 10.9% of smart speaker owners put them in home offices, even though they seem like they would be very helpful for someone who had a lot of work to get done. 

If you aren't ready to make the leap to AI technology - you might have already done it. According to a PGEA study, only 33% think that they use technology that features artificial intelligence when in reality, 77% use an AI-powered service. According to a study by Creative Strategies, only 2% of iPhone owners have never used Siri, and only 4% of Android owners have never leveraged the power of OK Google. When it comes to usage, 51% use voice assistants in the car, 6% in public, and 1.3% at work.

Companies have been slow to add male voice options for digital assistants, in part because it is expensive and complex. Google did not offer a male voice for its assistant technologies until late 2017,75 and Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana, despite both being on the market since 2014, still offer only female voices. In February 2019, Amazon added additional languages (German, Japanese and Spanish) as well as British-accented English to Alexa’s repertoire, but the voices are still exclusively female. Apple’s Siri technology is female by default in 17 of 21 languages.