GO OR NO GO #6 Memoji
Siri might have an update in 2021. But imagine if Siri replied "I don't understand. Please try again". That would mean that Siri was just a short-term investment for Apple.
For the sake of this article, I will refer to Siri as "it" (= voice assistance Siri by Apple, basically an AI friend). It is the little bowl of color when you say, "Hey Siri."
Synopsis
Go ahead, apple users. Say: "Hey Siri, what do I have to do today?"
When I asked mine, the response was inadequate, feeble. First, it starts reminding of all the reminders I set for today. Nothing on my next recruitment meetings or perhaps, a weather forecast or today's update on COVID-19 news. Can I finally hit the bar? Or am I stuck work-at-home forever?
But imagine if Siri replied "I don't understand. Please try again". That would mean that Siri was just a short-term investment for Apple. But good news, people, Apple might have a huge update this year. People liked the new OS, so now it's time to enhance the connected products' era.
Market review 📊
According to MarketWatch, the global voice assistant market expects to grow approximately $7840.82 Million by 2023, approx. 39.27% of CAGR between 2017 and 2023. So it's a big business to invest in.
But imagine if Siri replied, "I don't understand. Please try again."
"I don't understand" is not valid. 😶
Apple did invest tons of $ into its development. Their goal was to conquer new "voice assistance" ground against their many competitors: Alexa (Amazon), Google Assistant (Google), and Bixby (Samsung)...
But still, they all appear to answer simple questions, but complex ones are not yet understand. And unfortunately, I have to say that the use of Siri alone is low in terms of personal health assistance products. Imagine a voice assistant that minimizes the risks of depression or any moral disease. It could cure many of our daily problems as well as our long term ones.
I always like to compare current voice assistance to fictional ones. Let's say JARVIS (Iron Man) or Samantha (Her):
JARVIS is capable of hacking into servers and make thousands of smart decisions for you. The code might be complicated to write, but the core is simple: Be the best work assistance for a geeky guy.
Samantha is a bit different. It's more personal to an extreme, of course. You buy a virtual friend to have valuable conversation with "it." Don't you think it is a bit harsh to have a virtual friend? I don't think so. If you ask Siri "I am feeling lonely today," it will just tell you to call someone instead, it should tell you all the apps connected to Siri to enhance the assistance. Think of it like a plug-in or API for service. And this is the opportunity. 💰
Shortcuts X Siri 🚀
For those who don't know what shortcuts are, it is a visual scripting application for iOS that allows users to create macros for executing specific tasks on their device. It is Zapier for your connected products. It is still quite limited for my taste but this could be the future of connectivity.
Imagine this alliance between Shortcut and Siri. It would be a whole world Apple could build on to enhance their voice assistance to being the most powerful one. I guess all I am saying is to create a community like you did for Apple Store, but Siri App.
Blended replies: Imagine an AI friend that keeps the conversation going. "Hey Siri, I am alone" would lead to a connection to, let's say, Doctolib to call a specific doctor nearby (or Doctolib AI) that can help you in these challenging times. No need for Apple to invest in all these R&D. Build apps on the Siri Store or ask builders to invest in their R&D instead. Bringing technologies to technologies is what makes us innovative in the first place.
The right amount of persistence: "Hey Siri, set an alarm for 8pm". It often gives-up quite rapidly. It will set the alarm but that's it. It does the action you requested it to do, but it doesn't engage new conversation - Why? What next? This upgrade might potentially increase machine learning and behavior conversation.
Connect any app with Siri: Imagine an AI friend that can respond to any answer, finding a solution to almost everything, more than "What is the weather today?" but instead "help go through down moments."
Real insights into your products: Imagine an AI friend that keeps you going, day by day, with real insights and motivations quota, to be a better version of yourself. A life coach. It would fetch information from all your connected devices (iPhone, MacBook, iWatch) and learn from insights.
Yes, imagine an AI friend that can remind all the things you need to do today by combing information from all your phone app. This might increase productivity and make your daily routine a daily reminder. Siri would hit the booming well-being industry. With this right magic element, Apple could show the world what Apple is, more significant than just the 🍎 on the back of your iPhone.
Please try again 🧠
Apple Siri is poor in its responses that we made clear of it. But what about a second chance? In AI, there shouldn't be a second chance. If people don't find their answers quickly (attention spam = 8 seconds), they think that Siri is not that smart after all. Apple could invest all the marketing budget they want into a beautiful website, but in the end, no one would believe that it is the best voice assistance ever.
If you look closely at this graph, Siri was launched in 2010, being the first ever voice assistance market. It is supposed to be the leading actor but some, just rose and beat Siri from far away. They are building an AI capable of understanding and help customers and now people.
A little bird told me that Facebook might launch their new AI friend. Imagine, their AI could be connected to your social network, your messages, or even your Instagram Feed. Of course, don't forget "privacy is key," so, to do so, Facebook would need to be a little smarter in their big launch/ announcement, protecting users' data instead of jeopardizing the product features.
Google needs to be more advanced, but it has its pluses and minuses.
Google is Gmail. It connects to 75% of all mails (that stays the best liable source of information). Staying connected is vital then.
Google is Chrome. Yes, Chrome is the most used browser in the world but not only. It serves most web searches, so technically, it has the best user insight you may need to go through the day. Google Assistance may later invest in voice advertising (think of it like a Facebook Ad in a radio - PodAd)
Google is Google Home. Google is great because it connects to your Google Home, which means all your connected products you may own (Google Glass, Google Chromecast, Smart TV, ...)
Google is Google. It is also the best search engine there is, so that the recommendations Google Assistance provides could be very well documented. Let's say, "What is the news today?"
Netflix could be thinking of investing in an integrated voice assistance to enhance (or replace) the remote control feature they just launched.
BFF = MEMOJI x Siri
Imagine SIRI is more than just a voice behind your connected products. Imagine it is smart enough to understand everything and engage with you in multiple ways. That little bowl of color could be replaced into a Memoji that you could personalize (endlessly) as your best friend, your other half... your best virtual friend. This would change the industry as a whole. It would open multiple commercial markets like voice ads or perhaps, assist you, but better. For a proper conclusion, I suggest you ask yourself: Hey Apple, is it worth your investment? You'll see that this use case could solve your dilemma of being the first and the best voice assistance in the market.
Thank you for reading
GONG ❤️
ANNEXE
What is Siri (it)? 🔊
For those who still don't know what Siri is, it is an AI voice assistant able to remind you on essential matters like "find my iPhone, remind me of, set the alarm,... Since I recently bought the iPhone 12 Pro (upgraded from iPhone 6 RED), I've come to encounter all the new features Apple offers in their new phone, including this voice assistance friend, Siri.
Did you know? ⏳
Apple's first notion of a digital personal assistant was originally a concept video in 1987, called the Knowledge Navigator. Siri's speech recognition engine was provided by Nuance Communications, a speech technology company. In 2010, Steve Jobs acquired it. The speech recognition system uses sophisticated machine learning techniques, including convolutional neural networks and long short-term memory. Now, Siri uses voice queries, gesture-based control, focus-tracking, and a natural-language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of Internet services. The software adapts to users' language usages, searches, and preferences, with continuing use.