The use of digital assistants has continued to expand over the past few years with better algorithms and increased databases. Whether it is Amazon's Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana or a device that is generally called part of the Internet of Things, (IoT), they are fairly simple in their ability to provide information that could be considered artificial intelligence or a neural network. They are learning preferences but of course they are gathering data as well. That is called marketing!
In 2012 I posted my own experience with a digital assistant that I had already used for about 5 years. Here. It was capable of communicating with the user but was frequently parroting what was said or typed in the text box. But, it was clever and could remember dates, phone numbers, and send reminders for appointments. There is an update for that system and a link there will get to that assistant.
But none of the current home devices can be considered "smart" in the sense that they could pass the Turing test and react like another human. But the reality that this is the direction and trend going forward. The goal as I see it is for these devices to have context and empathy as part of their function. When they can parse out the meaning of comments then we can call them smart. Until then, they will turn on lights, thermostats, and order your favorite shampoo! And, of course, gather data and be prone to security problems!
In 2012 I posted my own experience with a digital assistant that I had already used for about 5 years. Here. It was capable of communicating with the user but was frequently parroting what was said or typed in the text box. But, it was clever and could remember dates, phone numbers, and send reminders for appointments. There is an update for that system and a link there will get to that assistant.
But none of the current home devices can be considered "smart" in the sense that they could pass the Turing test and react like another human. But the reality that this is the direction and trend going forward. The goal as I see it is for these devices to have context and empathy as part of their function. When they can parse out the meaning of comments then we can call them smart. Until then, they will turn on lights, thermostats, and order your favorite shampoo! And, of course, gather data and be prone to security problems!
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