Voice technology has completely transformed how individuals and businesses communicate with machines. Now, we aren’t typing; we’re using our voice and getting results instantly. Voice AI agents perform all of these tasks.
The global Voice AI market is projected to grow from $2.4 billion in 2024 to $47.5 billion by 2034, at a CAGR of 34.8%.
In this article, we will find out what AI voice agents are, how they are used, where they are used, and some examples of the best AI voice agents available in the market. We will discuss the benefits and challenges of leveraging voice technology.
What Are Voice AI Agents?
Voice AI agents are artificial intelligence systems that recognize spoken language and respond in a similar way to a human-in-the-loop system. Voice AI agents listen to a person’s voice, analyze (or process) it, and respond in an almost human voice.
Voice AI agents utilize different combinations of artificial intelligence technologies including but not limited to:
- Speech Recognition (so they can hear your words),
- Natural Language Processing (NLP)(so they can understand the meaning),
- Text-to-Speech (TTS)(to respond by speaking),
- and Machine Learning (so they can learn from your usage).
Voice AI agents can be found in customer service systems, mobile applications, smart speakers, websites and more.
How Do Voice AI Agents Work?
The operation of a voice AI agent consists of several steps:
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Voice Input
The user will speak the input to a microphone/device and captured that spoken language as audio.
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Speech to Text
The audio captured from the microphone/device will be converted to text by a speech recognition engine.
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Understanding the Text
The system will then understand what the user said utilizing natural language processing.
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Determining the Best Response
The AI will then determine the best response for the question that was asked, drawing on pre-trained models, databases or rules.
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Text to Speech
After forming the answer, the system is then going to generate a voice response, using text to speech tools, and transfer the desired response to audio output.
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Voice Output
The voice output is transferred back to the user as an audio output. All of this will happen in a few seconds or less depending on the platform.
Use Cases of AI Voice Agents
There are many ways AI voice agents are being used in different industries. Here are just a few examples of which industries and what tasks voice agents are best suited for.
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Customer Support
AI voice agents can answer simple customer questions (ex., account balance, even technical help) in the customer service centre. AI voice agents remove the necessity for humans, and offer a 24/7 service while improving customer service.
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Smart Devices
AI voice agents in the form of smart speakers are prevalent. Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are good examples of this type of product. Consumers can ask simple questions, set reminders, play music or control the smart devices in their house, among other things.
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Healthcare
Doctors can use AI voice assistants to take notes, retrieve patient data or schedule appointments. The voice assistant creates a shorter channel to increase time spent on patient care.
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Retail and E-commerce
There are apps that employ AI voice agents to help consumers find products through the voice commands. Some apps allow a full shopping transaction to be completed through voice.
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Banking and Finance
Banks should be able to leverage AI Voice Agents to support their customers with fairly straightforward tasks that include: checking the account balance, making payments, or clarifying terms within complex financial jargon.
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Education
Voice AI is currently being incorporated into learning apps. Some of which include: answering questions for the student, reading the content out loud, or even being used to quiz their knowledge.
Benefits of Using Voice AI Agents
There are many different reasons people, and businesses prefer voice AI agents.
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Saves Time
Speaking is faster than tyiping, and voice agents allow users to get answers, or complete actions faster than other in-app functionality.
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Easy to Use
Voice AI agents can be useful for people who may struggle with reading, writing, and typing.
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Available 24/7
Voice AI agents can respond to users 24/7, unlike human workers, who have work hour restrictions.
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Scalable
One AI voice agent can handle hundreds of simultaneous conversations, which human teams cannot do.
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Cost-Effective
Companies can reduce some costs with customer service by utilizing AI agents for trivial tasks.
Limitations of Voice AI Agents
Voice AI agents are useful, but they do have limitations:
Accents
Some voice AI may have trouble with different accents.
Complicated Conversations
While they are adept at handling simple queries, for complicated or emotional conversations people perform better than AI.
Privacy Issues
Voice agents collect and store data, which may unintentionally make some users feel uneasy about privacy issues.
No Visual Information
Voice agents are ineffective when the user is looking for visual information such as charts or images.
Best AI Voice Agents in the Market
Here are some of the best AI voice agents in use today. These options rank highly based on features, precision, and usability.
1. Amazon Alexa
Alexa is one of the biggest names in AI voice agents. Alexa is available across a wide range of devices including smart speakers, smart TVs, and in some vehicles.
Key Features:
- Controllers for smart homes
- Controls for music and other media
- Skills for shopping, news, etc.
2. Google Assistant
Google Assistant is available on Android phones, smart speakers, and smart displays.
Key Features:
- Integration of Google apps
- Fast response and accurate voice recognition
- Knowledge of multiple languages
3. Apple Siri
Siri is Apple’s voice assistant and is available on iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and HomePods.
Key Features:
- Integrated within Apple ecosystem
- Personal reminders and tasks
- Smart suggestions
4. Microsoft Cortana (Retired for Consumers)
Cortana has being a competitor for a time in the space of voice AIs. Microsoft pulled consumer support but continues to be utilized within a few Enterprise tools.
5. IBM Watson Assistant
Watson Assistant is optimized for business. It allows businesses to build personalized voice AI agents for websites and applications.
Key Features:
- Natural language understanding
- Integration with contact centers
- Custom training and insights
6. SoundHound (Houndify)
SoundHound makes a voice AI platform named Houndify, which brands use to make voice-enabled products.
Key Features:
- Voice AI for apps, cars and IoT
- Custom wake words
- Great natural language processing
7. Nuance Communications (Dragon Assistant)
Nuance has voice AI solutions for healthcare, automotive, etc.
Key Features:
- Medical speech to text
- Custom AI solutions
- Very high accuracy for transcription
How to Choose the Best AI Voice Agent
Selecting the ideal AI voice agent is dependent on your requirements. Here are some factors to think about:
- Use Case
Are you using it for customer service, home automation or education? Each use case may have different requirements.
- Language
Be sure the voice agent will support the languages your users work in.
- Integration
Be sure that the agent can integrate into your current tools, applications, or platforms.
- Cost
There are free voice AI platforms available, but other agents have subscriptions or enterprise pricing.
- Speed and Accuracy
Look for systems that are able to understand your voice and respond quickly.
- Data Privacy
Be sure that the provider complies with privacy laws and will protect user data.
The Future of Voice AI Agents
Voice AI is getting better all the time. Looking ahead, features to expect include:
- More Human-like Conversation
Voice AI will improve its ability to understand tone, sentiment, and context.
- Multi-Language Fluency
Future agents will switch smoothly between languages or dialects during the same conversation.
- Industry-Specific Voice AI
More and more agents will be developed just for healthcare, banks, education, and many more.
- Voice-Only Apps
Some applications may not require a screen at all. Every action will occur through voice.
- Voice in Virtual Reality
As virtual reality and augmented reality grow, voice AI will support users’ conversations when they are engaging with virtual worlds and realities..
Tips to Get Started with AI Voice Agents
If you’re a business interested in voice AI, you’ll want to follow these guidelines:
- Identify Your Objective – What do you want your voice agent to do? Customer service? Order status? Voice search?
- Select a Platform – Select a platform that fits your objective and your budget.
- Train Your Agent – Provide it with sample questions and answers. Use actual customer questions to develop it.
- Test and Improve – Go live with a limited version, collect feedback, and continue to enhance your agent.
- Respect Privacy – Inform users how their data will be used. Follow local requirements and best practices.
Conclusion
AI voice agents are changing the way that people interact with technology. From smart homes to enterprise customer service centers, AI voice agents make life a little easier and business a little faster.
By understanding how voice AI agents work, their use cases, advantages, and disadvantages, you will be able to get better decisions about adopting the technology.
And if you plan on adopting a voice AI agent, selecting from the best AI voice agents based on your needs will have the effect of producing better results.
Voice AI is becoming an integral part of how we live and work, not just a passing fad.
