Voice is the driving force of artificial intelligence. Voice computing has transformed the way we live and work with the advent of home assistant devices and voice commands on our phones.

 

The way these devices work is also somewhat complex. For example, when you speak to Alexa or Siri and they speak back, a lot of things happen in the background that you are unaware of.

 

How voice computing works

The first thing that happens when you speak into a voice assistant device or app is that it converts the words you have spoken into words. This is known as Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR).

 

This is why when you say something to Siri, you see the words you have spoken displayed on your phone screen. The computer device will now interpret the words to try and figure out what it means. This is called Natural Language Understanding (NLU).

 

 

Once the AI technology understands the meaning, the computer will then try to come up with a suitable response. This mode of response is called Natural Language Generation (NLG). When it formulates a response, the computer then does a reverse process of turning the words into audible speech sound.

 

All these exchanges, which happen within a few seconds, are very complicated. Some Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has to be involved so the computer needs to learn some things about human beings and the world to make it respond efficiently.

 

The computer learns a lot about human speech variations in high volumes through social media, common slangs, film titles, books, films and so on. The computer isn’t just going to an online encyclopaedia to find words. It also learns how human beings communicate and the sort of responses people get in regular human interactions.

 

 

The future

These days, computing is not the way it used to be. Back in the day, we typed out or swiped commands. These days, just by speaking into an almost invincible microphone, users get connected to the cloud and get numerous tasks done.

 

This they do without having to touch anything. People can now speak to electronics and home appliances that perform actions without any physical impact.

 

The world is gradually shifting to a place where machines are starting to be perceived as humans. People now go online to post conversations they deem funny that they had with Siri and Alexa.

 

 

These machines now have their own unique personalities and also seem to have emotions. Furthermore, we have expectations of our gadgets and treat them like friends or foes, whatever the case.

 

This technology is making life easier for not just disabled people but elderly people and children too. Loneliness is no longer a thing as your devices can now keep you company and you can have actual conversations with voice assistants.

 

They can give medications and offer advice and soothing words. It really is a futuristic time with machines.