Amazon has so far sold 25 million copies of Echo, these smart speakers backed by its voice Virtual Assistant Alexa. This number should double by 2020 and the equipment likely to host Alexa thanks to the iOS or Android applications also number in the millions.
Via Google Home smart speakers or Google Pixel phones, the Google Assistant is already available on more than 400 million devices, while Apple launched its own Home Pod earlier this year and Samsung made spectacular acquisitions. to strengthen his own personal voice assistant Bixby In this crowded market, Microsoft and Tencent have also invested heavily to boost their AI assistants Cortana , while Virtual Assistants such as are a hit in China, with tens of millions of users each… Not to mention the more “specialized” AI platforms small, such as Uber or Expedia, which also have millions of users…
The next step? According to all experts, a movement of concentration is inevitable in the next 5 to 10 years among the major players in AI platforms.
Because if the dozen serious competitors already in the running have an undeniable competitive advantage and a head start on possible new entrants (the entry ticket to this market is actually huge and requires years of investment), it's a safe bet that ultimately only a few generalists AI platforms because most users will probably only use one, as was ultimately the case with search engines, Google imposing at the expense of all its competitors.
It's no wonder that the battle for AI is raging right now, and that investments are in the tens of billions of dollars from all of these digital giants. Obvious user benefits ... and a real danger for brands (especially mass consumption), more dependent in the future on AI platforms than they are today in mass distribution and search engines.
Artificial intelligence soon to be a trusted third party?
As summarized by Niraj Dawar, in the long term, “the AI platform will collect and transmit information, while the Virtual Assistant will be the interface of the user with his domestic installations, the various devices, and other devices. " And above all: "AI assistants will minimize the costs and risks incurred by users; they will also offer unequalled comfort of use.
They will make sure that routine purchases get through to different homes - such as water and electricity - and manage more complex purchasing decisions by learning about consumer criteria and optimizing the compromises that they are ready to make ”.
Gradually - and rather in the medium term than in the very long term, therefore - platforms and Virtual Assistants will undoubtedly constitute the main channel through which users will access information, goods, and services.
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