<s>
An	O
intelligent	B-Protocol
virtual	I-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
(	O
IVA	O
)	O
or	O
intelligent	B-Protocol
personal	I-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
(	O
IPA	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
software	B-General_Concept
agent	I-General_Concept
that	O
can	O
perform	O
tasks	O
or	O
services	O
for	O
an	O
individual	O
based	O
on	O
commands	O
or	O
questions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
"	O
chatbot	B-Application
"	O
is	O
sometimes	O
used	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
generally	O
or	O
specifically	O
accessed	O
by	O
online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
programs	O
are	O
exclusively	O
for	O
entertainment	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
are	O
able	O
to	O
interpret	O
human	O
speech	O
and	O
respond	O
via	O
synthesized	O
voices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
similar	O
concept	O
,	O
however	O
with	O
differences	O
,	O
underlies	O
the	O
dialogue	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
capabilities	O
and	O
usage	O
of	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
are	O
expanding	O
rapidly	O
,	O
with	O
new	O
products	O
entering	O
the	O
market	O
and	O
a	O
strong	O
emphasis	O
on	O
both	O
email	O
and	O
voice	B-Application
user	I-Application
interfaces	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
have	O
large	O
installed	O
bases	O
of	O
users	O
on	O
smartphones	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
has	O
a	O
large	O
installed	O
base	O
of	O
Windows-based	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
smart	B-Device
speakers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amazon	B-Application
has	O
a	O
large	O
install	O
base	O
for	O
smart	B-Device
speakers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conversica	B-Algorithm
has	O
over	O
100	O
million	O
engagements	O
via	O
its	O
email	O
and	O
SMS	B-Device
interface	O
intelligent	B-Protocol
virtual	I-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
for	O
business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
could	O
recognize	O
the	O
fundamental	O
units	O
of	O
speech	O
,	O
phonemes	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
early	O
tool	O
which	O
was	O
enabled	O
to	O
perform	O
digital	O
speech	O
recognition	O
was	O
the	O
IBM	B-General_Concept
Shoebox	I-General_Concept
voice-activated	O
calculator	O
,	O
presented	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
during	O
the	O
1962	O
Seattle	O
World	O
's	O
Fair	O
after	O
its	O
initial	O
market	O
launch	O
in	O
1961	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
early	O
computer	O
,	O
developed	O
almost	O
20	O
years	O
before	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
IBM	B-Device
Personal	I-Device
Computer	I-Device
in	O
1981	O
,	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
recognize	O
16	O
spoken	O
words	O
and	O
the	O
digits	O
0	O
to	O
9	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
natural	B-Language
language	I-Language
processing	I-Language
computer	O
program	O
or	O
the	O
chatbot	B-Application
ELIZA	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
MIT	O
professor	O
Joseph	O
Weizenbaum	O
in	O
the	O
1960s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ELIZA	B-Application
used	O
pattern	O
matching	O
and	O
substitution	O
methodology	O
into	O
scripted	O
responses	O
to	O
simulate	O
conversation	O
,	O
which	O
gave	O
an	O
illusion	O
of	O
understanding	O
on	O
the	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Weizenbaum	O
's	O
own	O
secretary	O
reportedly	O
asked	O
Weizenbaum	O
to	O
leave	O
the	O
room	O
so	O
that	O
she	O
and	O
ELIZA	B-Application
could	O
have	O
a	O
real	O
conversation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
gave	O
name	O
to	O
the	O
ELIZA	B-General_Concept
effect	I-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
tendency	O
to	O
unconsciously	O
assume	O
computer	O
behaviors	O
are	O
analogous	O
to	O
human	O
behaviors	O
;	O
that	O
is	O
,	O
anthropomorphisation	O
,	O
a	O
phenomenon	O
present	O
in	O
human	O
interactions	O
with	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1986	O
Tangora	O
was	O
an	O
upgrade	O
of	O
the	O
Shoebox	B-General_Concept
,	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
voice	O
recognizing	O
typewriter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
method	O
makes	O
it	O
possible	O
to	O
predict	O
the	O
most	O
likely	O
phonemes	B-Language
to	O
follow	O
a	O
given	O
phoneme	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
digital	O
speech	O
recognition	O
technology	O
became	O
a	O
feature	O
of	O
the	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
with	O
IBM	O
,	O
Philips	O
and	O
Lernout	O
&	O
Hauspie	O
fighting	O
for	O
customers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
later	O
the	O
market	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
smartphone	B-Application
IBM	B-Device
Simon	I-Device
in	O
1994	O
laid	O
the	O
foundation	O
for	O
smart	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
as	O
we	O
know	O
them	O
today	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1997	O
,	O
Dragon	O
's	O
Naturally	B-Application
Speaking	I-Application
software	O
could	O
recognize	O
and	O
transcribe	O
natural	O
human	O
speech	O
without	O
pauses	O
between	O
each	O
word	O
into	O
a	O
document	O
at	O
a	O
rate	O
of	O
100	O
words	B-Device
per	I-Device
minute	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
of	O
Naturally	B-Application
Speaking	I-Application
is	O
still	O
available	O
for	O
download	O
and	O
it	O
is	O
still	O
used	O
today	O
,	O
for	O
instance	O
,	O
by	O
many	O
doctors	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
and	O
the	O
UK	O
to	O
document	O
their	O
medical	O
records	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2001	O
Colloquis	B-Protocol
publicly	O
launched	O
SmarterChild	B-Protocol
,	O
on	O
platforms	O
like	O
AIM	B-Protocol
and	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
entirely	O
text-based	O
SmarterChild	B-Protocol
was	O
able	O
to	O
play	O
games	O
,	O
check	O
the	O
weather	O
,	O
look	O
up	O
facts	O
,	O
and	O
converse	O
with	O
users	O
to	O
an	O
extent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
modern	O
digital	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
installed	O
on	O
a	O
smartphone	B-Application
was	O
Siri	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
introduced	O
as	O
a	O
feature	O
of	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Operating_System
4S	I-Operating_System
on	O
4	O
October	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
Inc	O
.	O
developed	O
Siri	B-Application
following	O
the	O
2010	O
acquisition	O
of	O
Siri	B-Application
Inc.	O
,	O
a	O
spin-off	O
of	O
SRI	O
International	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
research	O
institute	O
financed	O
by	O
DARPA	O
and	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Department	O
of	O
Defense	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
aim	B-Protocol
was	O
to	O
aid	O
in	O
tasks	O
such	O
as	O
sending	O
a	O
text	O
message	O
,	O
making	O
phone	O
calls	O
,	O
checking	O
the	O
weather	O
or	O
setting	O
up	O
an	O
alarm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2014	O
,	O
Amazon	B-Application
announced	O
Alexa	B-Application
alongside	O
the	O
Echo	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2017	O
Amazon	B-Application
released	O
a	O
service	O
for	O
building	O
conversational	B-General_Concept
interfaces	I-General_Concept
for	O
any	O
type	O
of	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
or	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
2020s	O
,	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
(	O
AI	B-Application
)	O
systems	O
like	O
ChatGPT	B-General_Concept
have	O
gained	O
popularity	O
for	O
their	O
ability	O
to	O
generate	O
human-like	O
responses	O
to	O
text-based	O
conversations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
30	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
ChatGPT	B-General_Concept
was	O
launched	O
as	O
a	O
prototype	O
and	O
quickly	O
garnered	O
attention	O
for	O
its	O
detailed	O
responses	O
and	O
articulate	O
answers	O
across	O
many	O
domains	O
of	O
knowledge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
advent	O
of	O
ChatGPT	B-General_Concept
and	O
its	O
introduction	O
to	O
the	O
wider	O
public	O
increased	O
interest	O
and	O
competition	O
in	O
the	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2023	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
began	O
introducing	O
an	O
experimental	O
service	O
called	O
"	O
Bard	O
"	O
which	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
its	O
LaMDA	B-Algorithm
AI	I-Algorithm
program	O
to	O
generates	O
text	O
responses	O
to	O
questions	O
asked	O
based	O
on	O
information	O
gathered	O
from	O
the	O
web	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
work	O
via	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Text	O
,	O
including	O
:	O
online	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
(	O
especially	O
in	O
an	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
application	O
or	O
other	O
application	O
)	O
,	O
SMS	B-Device
text	I-Device
,	O
e-mail	O
or	O
other	O
text-based	O
communication	O
channel	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
Conversica	B-Algorithm
's	O
intelligent	B-Protocol
virtual	I-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
for	O
business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
are	O
accessible	O
via	O
multiple	O
methods	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
via	O
chat	B-Protocol
on	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Allo	B-Protocol
and	O
Google	B-Application
Messages	O
app	O
and	O
via	O
voice	O
on	O
Google	B-Device
Home	I-Device
smart	B-Device
speakers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
use	O
natural	B-Language
language	I-Language
processing	I-Language
(	O
NLP	B-Language
)	O
to	O
match	O
user	O
text	O
or	O
voice	O
input	O
to	O
executable	O
commands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
continually	O
learn	O
using	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
techniques	O
including	O
machine	O
learning	O
and	O
ambient	B-Operating_System
intelligence	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
these	O
assistants	O
like	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
(	O
which	O
contains	O
Google	B-General_Concept
Lens	I-General_Concept
)	O
and	O
Samsung	B-Application
Bixby	I-Application
also	O
have	O
the	O
added	O
ability	O
to	O
do	O
image	B-Algorithm
processing	I-Algorithm
to	O
recognize	O
objects	O
in	O
the	O
image	O
to	O
help	O
the	O
users	O
get	O
better	O
results	O
from	O
the	O
clicked	O
images	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
activate	O
a	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
using	O
the	O
voice	O
,	O
a	O
wake	O
word	O
might	O
be	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
a	O
word	O
or	O
groups	O
of	O
words	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
Hey	B-Application
Siri	I-Application
"	O
,	O
"	O
OK	B-Application
Google	I-Application
"	O
or	O
"	O
Hey	B-Application
Google	I-Application
"	O
,	O
"	O
Alexa	B-Application
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
Hey	O
Microsoft	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
become	O
more	O
popular	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
increasing	O
legal	O
risks	O
involved	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
may	O
be	O
integrated	O
into	O
many	O
types	O
of	O
platforms	O
or	O
,	O
like	O
Amazon	B-Application
Alexa	I-Application
,	O
across	O
several	O
of	O
them	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
applications	O
on	O
both	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
via	O
the	O
Web	O
,	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Built	O
into	O
a	O
smartphone	B-Application
independent	O
of	O
the	O
OS	O
,	O
as	O
is	O
Bixby	B-Application
on	O
the	O
Samsung	B-Application
Galaxy	I-Application
S8	I-Application
and	O
Note	B-Application
8	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
appliances	O
,	O
cars	O
,	O
and	O
wearable	B-Operating_System
technology	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Previous	O
generations	O
of	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
often	O
worked	O
on	O
websites	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Alaska	O
Airlines	O
 '	O
Ask	O
Jenn	O
,	O
or	O
on	O
interactive	O
voice	O
response	O
(	O
IVR	O
)	O
systems	O
such	O
as	O
American	O
Airlines	O
 '	O
IVR	O
by	O
Nuance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
can	O
provide	O
a	O
wide	O
variety	O
of	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
report	O
estimated	O
that	O
an	O
automated	B-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
produced	O
a	O
30%	O
decrease	O
in	O
the	O
work-load	O
for	O
a	O
human-provided	O
call	O
centre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In-Car	O
Voice	B-Protocol
Assistants	I-Protocol
Interaction	O
with	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
like	O
Siri	B-Application
and	O
Alexa	B-Application
has	O
become	O
common	O
today	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conversational	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
is	O
e-commerce	O
via	O
various	O
means	O
of	O
messaging	B-Protocol
,	O
including	O
via	O
voice	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
but	O
also	O
live	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
on	O
e-commerce	O
Web	O
sites	O
,	O
live	B-Protocol
chat	I-Protocol
on	O
messaging	B-Protocol
applications	O
such	O
as	O
WeChat	B-Application
,	O
Facebook	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
and	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
and	O
chatbots	B-Application
on	O
messaging	B-Protocol
applications	O
or	O
Web	O
sites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
can	O
work	O
with	O
customer	O
support	O
team	O
of	O
a	O
business	O
to	O
provide	O
24x7	O
support	O
to	O
customers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amazon	B-Application
enables	O
Alexa	B-Application
"	O
Skills	O
"	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
"	O
Actions	O
"	O
,	O
essentially	O
applications	O
that	O
run	O
on	O
the	O
assistant	B-Application
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
have	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
privacy	O
concerns	O
associated	O
with	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modes	O
of	O
privacy	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
virtual	O
security	O
button	O
have	O
been	O
proposed	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
multilayer	O
authentication	O
for	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
privacy	O
policy	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
states	O
that	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
store	O
the	O
audio	O
data	O
without	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
permission	O
,	O
but	O
may	O
store	O
the	O
conversation	O
transcripts	O
to	O
personalise	O
its	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
a	O
user	O
wants	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
to	O
store	O
audio	O
data	O
,	O
they	O
can	O
go	O
to	O
Voice	O
&	O
Audio	O
Activity	O
(	O
VAA	O
)	O
and	O
turn	O
on	O
this	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Audio	O
files	O
are	O
sent	O
to	O
the	O
cloud	O
and	O
used	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
improve	O
the	O
performance	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
,	O
but	O
only	O
if	O
the	O
VAA	O
feature	O
is	O
turned	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
privacy	O
policy	O
of	O
Amazon	B-Application
's	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
,	O
Alexa	B-Application
,	O
states	O
that	O
it	O
only	O
listens	O
to	O
conversations	O
when	O
its	O
wake	O
word	O
(	O
like	O
Alexa	B-Application
,	O
Amazon	B-Application
,	O
Echo	B-Device
)	O
is	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
delete	O
the	O
recording	O
from	O
the	O
cloud	O
by	O
visiting	O
‘	O
Alexa	B-Application
Privacy’	O
in	O
‘	O
Alexa’	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
states	O
that	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
record	O
audio	O
to	O
improve	O
Siri	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
opt	O
out	O
anytime	O
if	O
they	O
do	O
n't	O
want	O
Siri	B-Application
to	O
send	O
the	O
transcripts	O
in	O
the	O
cloud	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Added	O
value	O
of	O
the	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
can	O
come	O
among	O
others	O
from	O
the	O
following	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
faster	O
:	O
Voice	O
is	O
more	O
efficient	O
than	O
writing	O
on	O
a	O
keyboard	O
:	O
we	O
can	O
speak	O
up	O
to	O
200	O
words	B-Device
per	I-Device
minute	I-Device
opposed	O
to	O
60	O
in	O
case	O
of	O
writing	O
on	O
a	O
keyboard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
more	O
natural	O
thus	O
requiring	O
less	O
effort	O
(	O
reading	O
a	O
text	O
however	O
can	O
reach	O
700	O
words	B-Device
per	I-Device
minute	I-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
save	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
time	O
by	O
automation	O
:	O
they	O
can	O
take	O
appointments	O
,	O
or	O
read	O
the	O
news	O
while	O
the	O
consumer	O
does	O
something	O
else	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
possible	O
to	O
ask	O
the	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
to	O
schedule	O
meetings	O
,	O
hence	O
helping	O
to	O
organize	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
recent	O
study	O
(	O
2019	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
two	O
reasons	O
for	O
using	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
for	O
consumers	O
are	O
perceived	O
usefulness	O
and	O
perceived	O
enjoyment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
result	O
of	O
this	O
study	O
is	O
that	O
both	O
perceived	O
usefulness	O
and	O
perceived	O
enjoyment	O
have	O
an	O
equivalent	O
very	O
strong	O
influence	O
for	O
the	O
consumer	O
willingness	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
spur	O
the	B-Algorithm
filter	I-Algorithm
bubble	I-Algorithm
:	O
As	O
for	O
social	O
media	O
,	O
virtual	O
assistants’	O
algorithms	O
are	O
trained	O
to	O
show	O
pertinent	O
data	O
and	O
discard	O
others	O
based	O
on	O
previous	O
activities	O
of	O
the	O
consumer	O
:	O
The	O
pertinent	O
data	O
is	O
the	O
one	O
which	O
will	O
interest	O
or	O
please	O
the	O
consumer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
they	O
become	O
isolated	O
from	O
data	O
that	O
disagrees	O
with	O
their	O
viewpoints	O
,	O
effectively	O
isolating	O
them	O
into	O
their	O
own	O
intellectual	O
bubble	B-Algorithm
,	O
and	O
reinforcing	O
their	O
opinions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
phenomenon	O
was	O
known	O
to	O
reinforce	O
fake	O
news	O
and	O
echo	B-Device
chambers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
are	O
also	O
sometimes	O
criticized	O
for	O
being	O
overrated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
A	O
.	O
Casilli	O
points	O
out	O
that	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
of	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
are	O
neither	O
intelligent	O
nor	O
artificial	O
for	O
two	O
reasons	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Not	O
intelligent	O
because	O
all	O
they	O
do	O
is	O
being	O
the	O
assistant	B-Application
of	O
the	O
human	O
,	O
and	O
only	O
by	O
doing	O
tasks	O
that	O
a	O
human	O
could	O
do	O
easily	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
a	O
very	O
limited	O
specter	O
of	O
actions	O
:	O
find	O
,	O
class	O
,	O
and	O
present	O
information	O
,	O
offers	O
or	O
documents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
are	O
neither	O
able	O
to	O
make	O
decisions	O
on	O
their	O
own	O
nor	O
to	O
anticipate	O
things	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
Antonio	O
A	O
.	O
Casilli	O
,	O
a	O
French	O
sociologist	O
,	O
criticized	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
and	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
in	O
particular	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
way	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
a	O
first	O
level	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
the	O
consumer	O
provides	O
free	O
data	O
for	O
the	O
training	O
and	O
improvement	O
of	O
the	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
,	O
often	O
without	O
knowing	O
it	O
,	O
is	O
ethically	O
disturbing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
at	O
a	O
second	O
level	O
,	O
it	O
might	O
be	O
even	O
more	O
ethically	O
disturbing	O
to	O
know	O
how	O
these	O
AIs	B-Application
are	O
trained	O
with	O
this	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
is	O
trained	O
via	O
neural	B-Architecture
networks	I-Architecture
,	O
which	O
require	O
a	O
huge	O
amount	O
of	O
labelled	B-General_Concept
data	I-General_Concept
.	I-General_Concept
</s>
<s>
That	O
is	O
,	O
remotely	O
using	O
some	O
people	O
worldwide	O
doing	O
some	O
repetitive	O
and	O
very	O
simple	O
tasks	O
for	O
a	O
few	O
cents	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
listening	O
to	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
speech	O
data	O
,	O
and	O
writing	O
down	O
what	O
was	O
said	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hence	O
,	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
and	O
their	O
designers	O
are	O
controversial	O
for	O
spurring	O
job	O
insecurity	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
AIs	B-Application
they	O
propose	O
are	O
still	O
human	O
in	O
the	O
way	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
impossible	O
without	O
the	O
microwork	O
of	O
millions	O
of	O
human	O
workers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Privacy	O
concerns	O
are	O
raised	O
by	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
voice	O
commands	O
are	O
available	O
to	O
the	O
providers	O
of	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
in	O
unencrypted	O
form	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
thus	O
be	O
shared	O
with	O
third	O
parties	O
and	O
be	O
processed	O
in	O
an	O
unauthorized	O
or	O
unexpected	O
manner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notable	O
developer	O
platforms	O
for	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
include	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Amazon	B-General_Concept
Lex	I-General_Concept
was	O
opened	O
to	O
developers	O
in	O
April	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
involves	O
natural	B-General_Concept
language	I-General_Concept
understanding	I-General_Concept
technology	O
combined	O
with	O
automatic	O
speech	O
recognition	O
and	O
had	O
been	O
introduced	O
in	O
November	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
's	O
Watson	B-Application
,	O
while	O
sometimes	O
spoken	O
of	O
as	O
a	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
is	O
in	O
fact	O
an	O
entire	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
platform	O
and	O
community	O
powering	O
some	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
,	O
chatbots	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
previous	O
generations	O
of	O
text	O
chat-based	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
,	O
the	O
assistant	B-Application
was	O
often	O
represented	O
by	O
an	O
avatar	B-Application
(	O
a.k.a.	O
</s>
<s>
interactive	B-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
character	I-Protocol
or	O
automated	O
character	O
)	O
—	O
this	O
was	O
known	O
as	O
an	O
embodied	B-General_Concept
agent	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	O
experiences	O
enabled	O
by	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
are	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
among	O
the	O
major	O
recent	O
technological	O
advances	O
and	O
most	O
promising	O
consumer	O
trends	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
mid-2017	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
frequent	O
users	O
of	O
digital	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
is	O
estimated	O
to	O
be	O
around	O
1	O
bn	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
it	O
can	O
be	O
observed	O
that	O
virtual	O
digital	O
assistant	B-Application
technology	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
restricted	O
to	O
smartphone	B-Application
applications	O
,	O
but	O
present	O
across	O
many	O
industry	O
sectors	O
(	O
incl	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
an	O
Ovum	O
study	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
native	O
digital	O
assistant	B-Application
installed	O
base	O
"	O
is	O
projected	O
to	O
exceed	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
population	O
by	O
2021	O
,	O
with	O
7.5	O
billion	O
active	O
voice	O
AI	B-Application
–	O
capable	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Ovum	O
,	O
by	O
that	O
time	O
"	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
will	O
dominate	O
the	O
voice	O
AI	B-Application
–	O
capable	O
device	O
market	O
with	O
23.3	O
%	O
market	O
share	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
Samsung	B-Application
's	O
Bixby	B-Application
(	O
14.5	O
%	O
)	O
,	O
Apple	O
's	O
Siri	B-Application
(	O
13.1	O
%	O
)	O
,	O
Amazon	B-Application
's	O
Alexa	B-Application
(	O
3.9	O
%	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Cortana	B-Application
(	O
2.3	O
%	O
)	O
.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
the	O
increasing	O
demand	O
for	O
smartphone-assisted	O
platforms	O
are	O
expected	O
to	O
further	O
boost	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
intelligent	B-Protocol
virtual	I-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
(	O
IVA	O
)	O
industry	O
growth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
its	O
smaller	O
size	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
market	O
,	O
the	O
intelligent	B-Protocol
virtual	I-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
industry	O
from	O
the	O
Asia-Pacific	O
region	O
,	O
with	O
its	O
main	O
players	O
located	O
in	O
India	O
and	O
China	O
is	O
predicted	O
to	O
grow	O
at	O
an	O
annual	O
growth	O
rate	O
of	O
40%	O
(	O
above	O
global	O
average	O
)	O
over	O
the	O
2016	O
–	O
2024	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
should	O
not	O
be	O
only	O
seen	O
as	O
a	O
gadget	O
for	O
individuals	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
could	O
have	O
a	O
real	O
economic	O
utility	O
for	O
enterprises	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
can	O
take	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
an	O
always	O
available	O
assistant	B-Application
with	O
an	O
encyclopedic	O
knowledge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
are	O
all	O
the	O
more	O
important	O
that	O
their	O
integration	O
in	O
small	O
and	O
middle-sized	O
enterprises	O
often	O
consists	O
in	O
an	O
easy	O
first	O
step	O
through	O
the	O
more	O
global	O
adaptation	O
and	O
use	O
of	O
Internet	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
Things	I-Operating_System
(	O
IoT	B-Operating_System
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Indeed	O
,	O
IoT	B-Operating_System
technologies	O
are	O
first	O
perceived	O
by	O
small	O
and	O
medium-sized	O
enterprises	O
as	O
technologies	O
of	O
critical	O
importance	O
,	O
but	O
too	O
complicated	O
,	O
risky	O
or	O
costly	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2018	O
,	O
researchers	O
from	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
California	O
,	O
Berkeley	O
,	O
published	O
a	O
paper	O
that	O
showed	O
audio	O
commands	O
undetectable	O
for	O
the	O
human	O
ear	O
could	O
be	O
directly	O
embedded	O
into	O
music	O
or	O
spoken	O
text	O
,	O
thereby	O
manipulating	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
into	O
performing	O
certain	O
actions	O
without	O
the	O
user	O
taking	O
note	O
of	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
possibility	O
of	O
this	O
has	O
been	O
known	O
since	O
2016	O
,	O
and	O
affects	O
devices	O
from	O
Apple	O
,	O
Amazon	B-Application
and	O
Google	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
unintentional	O
actions	O
and	O
voice	O
recording	O
,	O
another	O
security	O
and	O
privacy	O
risk	O
associated	O
with	O
intelligent	B-Protocol
virtual	I-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
is	O
malicious	O
voice	O
commands	O
:	O
An	O
attacker	O
who	O
impersonates	O
a	O
user	O
and	O
issues	O
malicious	O
voice	O
commands	O
to	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
unlock	O
a	O
smart	O
door	O
to	O
gain	O
unauthorized	O
entry	O
to	O
a	O
home	O
or	O
garage	O
or	O
order	O
items	O
online	O
without	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
knowledge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Intelligent	B-Protocol
personal	I-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
Developer	O
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
Free	O
and	O
open-source	O
hardware	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
out	O
External	O
I/O	O
IOT	B-Operating_System
Chromecast	B-Device
integration	O
Smart	B-Application
phone	I-Application
app	O
Always	O
on	O
Unit	O
to	O
unit	O
voice	O
channel	O
Skill	O
language	O
Sydney	O
Bing.com	B-Application
?	O
</s>
<s>
Alexa	B-Application
(	O
a.k.a.	O
</s>
<s>
Echo	B-Device
)	O
Amazon.com	B-Application
?	O
</s>
<s>
JavaScript	O
Alice	B-Operating_System
Yandex	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
Assistant	B-Application
Speaktoit	B-Application
?	O
</s>
<s>
Bixby	B-Application
Samsung	B-Application
Electronics	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
BlackBerry	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
BlackBerry	O
Limited	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
Braina	B-General_Concept
Brainasoft	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
Cortana	B-Application
Microsoft	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
Duer	B-Application
Baidu	B-Application
Evi	B-Application
Amazon.com	B-Application
and	O
True	B-Application
Knowledge	I-Application
?	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
Google	B-Application
C++	O
Google	B-Application
Now	I-Application
Google	B-Application
?	O
</s>
<s>
Mycroft	B-Device
Mycroft	B-Device
AI	I-Device
Python	O
SILVIA	B-Application
Cognitive	B-Application
Code	I-Application
?	O
</s>
<s>
Siri	B-Application
Apple	O
Inc	O
.	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
Viv	B-Application
Samsung	B-Application
Electronics	O
?	O
</s>
