We were so in phase
In our dance hall days
We were cool on craze
When I, you, and everyone we knew
Could believe, do, and share in what was true
The Voice of Money was today - an event we typically do in downtown NYC, but this year held virtually.
Amidst a program full of outstanding presentations, two particular slides really stood out to me that I want to pass along.
Here’s the first one, from Eduardo Olvera and Nirvana Tikku of Nuance:
This is absolutely fascinating. It’s the first time I’ve seen a slide like this, though I’ve certainly seen many outstanding voice/AI presentations the past few years.
My interpretation of this is not to get singularly focused on the usual metrics around whether a voice assistant is effective, or perhaps better than another one…metrics such as “accuracy,” or “usage,” or measuring whether user habits and routines have taken hold.
Rather, expand your way of thinking, and consider a much larger universe of ways voice assistants and conversational AIs can compete for the attention of users.
The second slide, from Open Voice Network’s Jon Stine, is here:
All five of these statistics are interesting in their own right, but what I take away from this slide is an overwhelming need for companies working with conversational AI to go out of their way to demonstrate trustworthiness.
What represents trustworthiness for one brand, or one organization, will vary wildly from what represents trustworthiness for another.
But if 2/3 of people think technology obscures what is and isn’t real, and half of people think they’ve observed ‘unethical’ AI at times, companies have a clear path to winning consumer hearts and minds by getting out in front of that.
Surprising users with a bit of humanity, to break up the non-stop drumbeat of upselling, mining user data, and other behaviors the consumer is already on guard against, is that less-traveled path.
Leading up to Project Voice 2021, the #1 event for voice tech and AI in America, Project Voice: Coast to Coast is bringing an in-person voice/AI briefing to small groups in 35 cities across the United States. Presented by Cerence.
If you want to get out of the house, we’d love to have you join us. Masks and social distancing will be enforced, and outdoor venues will be utilized as available.
San Francisco, CA - January 12
Salt Lake City, UT - February 8
New York City, NY - February 23
Philadelphia, PA - February 25
Project Voice 2021 - Chattanooga, TN - April 12-14
The Voice of Gaming examines the interesting and growing intersection between voice tech, conversational AI, and gaming in all sorts of forms, from board games to video games and more.
The Voice of Customer Service is a special two-day event all about how conversational AI is being deployed within modern customer service operations, including contact centers around the world.
If you think you’ll be ready to attend your first conference by April, you can register for Project Voice 2021 here. Attendance will be limited for the #1 event for voice and AI in America.
The previous Project Voice was organized around specific days for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung Bixby.
This year’s version will be organized around voice/AI in legacy software (mobile apps, websites, etc), voice/AI in contact centers, and voice/AI within select emerging sectors such as healthcare and banking.
You can enjoy the This Week In Voice playlist on Spotify here.