有一次，在不久的过去，世界上到处都是助手。他们的工作是安排会议、接听电话并通常照顾别人的家务，这样他们就可以专注于自己的核心工作。
如今，对人类助手的需求要低得多。私人助理是为精英保留的奢侈品。您可以感谢计算机技术促成了这一趋势，因为现在管理自己的时间和自动化许多以前需要人工操作的任务非常容易。
尽管如此，仍有改进的空间，并且由于人工智能技术，每个人都可以拥有一个虚拟个人助理。随着时间的流逝，这些软件服务变得更加智能和有用，因此您不必花更少的精力来管理您的一天并与您的设备进行交互。虽然一开始我们只有有限数量的助手可供选择，但这些天你被宠坏了。
简而言之，人工智能助手
如果您从未与这些助手中的任何一个合作过，或者不确定他们在做什么，这里有一个快速概述。
AI语音助手主要接受语音输入。他们中的许多人不断地听一个触发词，这使得免提使用成为可能。如果这不可能，您只需点击一个图标即可说出您的作品。您会在智能手机、智能扬声器、智能电视(TVs)和其他“智能”互联网连接设备中找到它们。
人们用它们做什么？确切的功能集各不相同，我们将在下面看到。然而，大多数允许互联网搜索、媒体播放、消息听写、日程安排和警报。根据它们与所用硬件的集成程度，您甚至可以控制音量、蓝牙(Bluetooth)和WiFi等内容。
这些语音助手最令人印象深刻的用途之一是作为智能家居系统的一部分。这使您可以通过与 AI 对话来控制恒温器、车库门和其他连接设备等设备！现在，让我们看看一些实际的助手以及他们提供的功能。
普通嫌疑犯
这些人工智能助手是大多数人至少听说过的。他们是由世界上一些最大的科技公司支持的开创性服务。
由于几乎所有的助手都是基于云的，这四个具有很多优势，更不用说大玩家开发或购买的尖端机器学习算法了。您几乎可以肯定已经在您的手机、平板电脑或智能扬声器上安装了其中一种。
西里
Siri是一款将 AI 语音助手的整体理念放在地图上的产品。这个助手最初是随 iPhone 4S 一起提供的，从那时起就出现在每台Apple移动设备中。显然，您只能在Apple硬件上使用(Apple)Siri，但与此同时，Siri也不再是 iPhone 上唯一的游戏了。
在功能方面，Siri实际上已经开始落后于谷歌(Google)和亚马逊(Amazon)等公司，但最近对 iOS 的一系列升级以及与苹果生态系统的深度整合都很强大。
Apple最近向应用程序开发人员开放了Siri，同时还引入了一项名为Siri Shortcuts的功能。这些就像您可以使用自己的语音触发器设置的自定义宏，使Siri 成为(Siri one)
当今最通用的助手之一。
就自然语言能力而言，Siri
用起来一点也不差。然而，与Google Assistant相比，Siri似乎无法理解更复杂的措辞和更细微的语音。就实际识别而言，Siri很棒，但没有足够的大脑。
这并不是说Siri不能很聪明。如果你要迟到，助手现在会做一些事情，比如向你有约会的人推荐短信。Siri还可以智能地自动完成您正在编写的短信，并与大多数Apple应用程序（例如日历(Calendar)和Apple Music ）进行原生交互。
Siri现在也传播到了Apple的智能家居产品和设备，如Apple TV 和Apple Watch。最新版本的MacOS还将Siri带到了桌面。因此，如果您对Apple(Apple)生态系统非常投入
，它会将它们巧妙地联系在一起。
最后，值得注意的是，Apple已经开发了自己的家庭自动化平台，显然，Siri是该系统的核心。
谷歌助理
谷歌智能助理(Google Assistant)，尽管这个名字相当缺乏想象力，但它是一个强大的人工智能，几乎可以在市场上的所有安卓(Android)设备上使用。该软件由 Google 强大的算法提供支持，非常智能。
此外，谷歌(Google)最近几个月展示了一些令人难以置信的人工智能功能，这些功能将成为智能助理的一部分。(Assistant)包括语音拨号和代表您预约的能力。
GA 的最大优势之一是它比Siri开放时间更长。因此，您会发现它与三星 SmartThings(Samsung SmartThings)和Netflix等服务完美集成。它还被广泛应用于各种设备，例如智能电视(TVs)、谷歌的人工智能扬声器和可穿戴设备。
Google Assistant以其强大的语言能力、几乎所有Google服务的访问权限以及与其他公司解决方案的广泛互操作性而著称。与苹果的Siri形成鲜明对比的所有属性。谷歌助手(Google Assistant)也可以在几乎所有平台上以一种或另一种形式使用，所以没有什么能阻止你试一试。
小娜
Cortana以(Cortana)Halo系列视频游戏中的 AI 角色命名。她是微软(Microsoft)对Siri的回应，还集成了Windows 10操作系统。由于Windows Phone的失败，(Windows Phone)微软(Microsoft)不再真正在手机硬件上占有一席之地，因此Cortana可以在 iOS 和(Cortana)Android平台上作为应用程序下载使用。
Cortana与其他人相比最大的优势是她如何弥合移动设备和Windows机器之间的差距。绝大多数用户拥有Windows计算机，因此在您的手机和计算机之间获得同步奇偶校验确实是一个非常有用的福音。
延续这一集成主题，Cortana还可以与其他拥有庞大用户群的Microsoft产品如Office 365和Outlook完美配合。(Outlook)
另一方面，Cortana与Bing
搜索相关联。这是有道理的，因为那是微软的搜索引擎。但是，Bing
不是Google，至少现在还不是。因此，在搜索功能方面，您的里程可能会有所不同。
在Android(Android)和iOS上获取它
亚历克斯
Alexa是在线零售巨头
亚马逊(Amazon)的产品。所以它与亚马逊(Amazon)的产品和服务有着深度的融合。只需几句话，你就可以买到从杂货到另一台 Alexa智能音箱的任何东西，这是(Alexa)贝佐斯先生(Mr. Bezos)的绝妙商业策略。
毫无疑问，Alexa统治着智能扬声器市场，但在非亚马逊移动设备上，她并不那么受欢迎。尽管如此，如果你确实在你的Android或 iOS 设备上安装了(Android)Alexa ，那么这个活泼的数字个性还是有很多值得喜欢的地方。
Alexa有很多“技能”，可以让她做一些事情，比如成为一名出色的厨房帮手、阅读睡前故事、追踪卡路里和定位你的手机。
作为一个通用语音助手，Alexa的印象稍逊一筹，但如果你在亚马逊(Amazon)生态系统中投入巨资，那么你可能已经在使用Alexa。
在Android(Android)和iOS上获取它
弱者竞争者
如果您不喜欢与主流同行，那么许多较小的开发人员正在尝试成为您的下一个 AI 助手。这些助手为了在人群中脱颖而出，通常会尝试做一些独特的事情或者一些特别好的事情。
猎犬
Hound是由给我们SoundHound的一些很棒的人带来的。该应用程序可以收听当前正在播放的歌曲并告诉您它是谁。这种需求如此普遍，以至于整个企业都可以围绕它建立。
Hound显然去掉了名称中的“声音”部分并提供通用搜索，但具有与SoundHound众所周知的相同的创新意识。主要卖点是他们先进的自然语言技术。速度(Speed)、准确性和自然语言是 Hound 赖以生存的三大支柱。
在Android(Android)和iOS上获取它
比克斯比
与 Siri 一样，Bixby是一个特定硬件平台独有的。在这种情况下，它仅适用于三星(Samsung)手机。一些具有Bixby功能的手机实际上有一个专用的物理按钮来召唤这个数字仆人，这取决于你的观点，要么是奖励，要么是刺激。
当Bixby首次推出时，用户不得不处理大量的初期问题，但现在它是一款功能更加强大的软件。它的主要优势是Bixby更好地与三星(Samsung)手机硬件集成。
尽管开玩笑说Bixby
按钮有多烦人，但多年来， Bixby本身已经真正成熟了。(Bixby)我们现在进入了支持Bixby的第三代手机，这个数字管家有一些技巧。
拥有超过 3000 条语音命令，几乎可以通过语音控制整个手机体验。还有快速命令(Quick Commands)，本质上是语音宏。您可以设置一系列可以通过单个单词或短语触发的命令。基本上(Basically)，Bixby是(Bixby)Siri最直接的竞争对手，因此，如果您拥有一款具有Bixby功能的(Bixby)三星(Samsung)手机型号，那么值得一试，而不是直接使用
Google Assistant。此外(Besides)，这两位助手在同一部手机上幸福地生活在一起。
罗宾
Robin已作为 Siri 的 Android 版本进行销售
，但(Android)同时(Siri)也是官方测试版软件。
这(Which)意味着，如果您尝试一下Robin，您就是在帮助将助手塑造成未来的样子。
现在，它仍然是一项非常基本的服务。您可以进行互联网搜索、获取新闻、天气更新等。您可以拨打电话、发短信和启动导航。总体共识似乎是Robin是一个简洁的语音助手，但它需要更多的修饰才能变得更加可靠和实用。
Robin最初是为了成为一个播客和互联网无线电控制系统而构建的，但它正在成长为更多。但是，如果它继续改进，这可能是Android用户真正的Siri
替代品。
在安卓上获取(Android)
天琴座虚拟助手
Lyra是最有力的竞争者之一，可以将顶级语音助手产品从他们的基座上敲下来。它是一个真正智能、创新的工具，有望做出伟大的事情。如果足够多的人抓住它。
它是一款基于云的多平台助手，您可以在台式机、笔记本电脑、平板电脑和手机上使用。有
Android和 iOS 应用程序，因此涵盖了大多数移动用户。
与Google Assistant一样，Lyra也被设计为对话式。换句话说，Lyra可以通过多个查询进行交流，记住你之前说过的话，并将这些信息应用到对话的当前部分。
Lyra的开发人员在自然语言处理方面付出了很多努力，从而产生了一种智能的多语言工具，与大玩家同在。
在功能方面，Lyra涵盖了您所期望的大部分功能。一般(General) 查询(queries)、天气、社交媒体、导航和其他类似领域都被充分覆盖。Lyra还有一个非常友好的界面，这使它成为一个值得支持的失败者。
在Android(Android)和iOS上获取它
抵抗是徒劳的
似乎 AI 数字助理将继续存在，如果他们继续以以往的方式变得更好，那将是一个好消息。一旦你找到了一个适合你的工具，就值得深入研究自动化的可能性。
特别是在开车时使用手机会改变游戏规则。许多助手可让您拨打电话、更改音乐曲目和口述短信，而无需将您的手从车轮上移开或将您的眼睛从道路上移开。
8 AI Assistants and What They Can Do For You
At one point, not toо fаr in the past, the
world was full оf assistants. People whose job it was to schedule meetings,
take calls and generally take care of someone elsе’s chores sо they cоuld focus
on their core job.
These days the need for human assistants is
much lower. Personal assistants are a luxury reserved for the elite. You can
thank computer technology for this trend, since it’s now pretty easy to manage
your own time and automate many tasks that needed the human touch before.
Still, there’s room for improvement and thanks
to AI technology everyone can have a virtual personal assistant. With each day
that goes by these software services become smarter and more useful, so that
you have to put in less effort to manage your day and interface with your
devices. While we only had a limited number of assistants to choose from at
first, these days you’re spoilt for choice.
AI Assistants in a Nutshell
In case you have never worked with one of
these assistants, or are unsure of what they do, here’s a quick rundown.
AI voice assistants mainly accept input by
voice. Many of them listen constantly for a trigger word, which makes
hands-free use possible. If that’s not possible, you simple tap an icon to say
your piece. You’ll find them in smartphones, smart speaker, smart TVs and other
“smart” internet-connected devices.
What do people use them for? The exact feature
sets vary, as we’ll see below. However, most allow for internet searches, media
playback, message dictation, scheduling and alarms. Depending on how well they
are integrated with the hardware in use, you can even control things like
volume, Bluetooth and WiFi.
One of the most impressive uses of these voice
assistants is as part of a smart home system. This allows you to control things
like your thermostat, garage door and other connected devices just by speaking
to the AI! Now, let’s look at some actual assistants and what they have to
offer.
The Usual Suspects
These AI assistants are ones which most people have at least heard of. They are pioneering services backed by some of the largest tech companies in the world.
Since almost all assistants are cloud-based, these four come with a lot of advantages, not to mention the cutting edge machine learning algorithms either developed or bought by the big players. You almost certainly already have one of these available on your phone, tablet or smart speaker.
Siri
Siri is the product that put the whole idea of an AI voice assistant on the map. This assistant first shipped with the iPhone 4S and has featured in every Apple mobile device since then. Obviously you can only make use of Siri on Apple hardware, but at the same time Siri isn’t the only game in town on iPhones anymore either.
In terms of capabilities, Siri has actually
started to lag behind the likes of Google and Amazon, but a slew of recent
upgrades to iOS and deep integration with Apple’s ecosystem are strong.
Apple has recently opened Siri up to app
developers, while also introducing a feature known as Siri Shortcuts. These are
like custom macros you can set up with your own voice triggers, making Siri one
of the most versatile assistants out there today.
In terms of natural language abilities, Siri
isn’t bad at all to use. However, compared to Google Assistant, Siri doesn’t
seem to understand more complex phrasings and more nuanced speech. In terms of
actual recognition Siri is great, but there isn’t quite as much brain as there
could be.
That’s not to say that Siri can’t be pretty
smart. The assistant will now do things like suggest text messages to people
you have an appointment with if you’re going to be late. Siri can also
autocomplete text messages you are writing intelligently and natively interact
with most Apple apps, such as Calendar and Apple Music.
Siri has now also spread to Apple’s smart home
products and devices like Apple TV and the Apple watch. The most recent version
of MacOS also brings Siri to the desktop. So if you are very invested in the
Apple ecosystem, it ties them all neatly together.
Finally, it’s worth noting that Apple has
developed their own home automation platform and, obviously, Siri is central to
that system.
Google Assistant
The Google Assistant, despite the rather unimaginative name, is a powerful AI that’s available on just about every Android device on the market. Powered by Google’s powerful algorithms, this software is eerily intelligent.
Moreover, Google has shown off some incredible AI features that will be part of Assistant in recent months. Including the ability to voice-dial people and make appointments on your behalf.
One of GA’s biggest strengths is that it’s
been more open than Siri for longer. So you’ll find it nicely integrated with
services like Samsung SmartThings and Netflix. It’s also made its way to a wide
range of devices, such as smart TVs, Google’s AI speakers and wearables.
The Google Assistant is notable for its powerful
language abilities, access to almost all Google services and wide
interoperability with solutions from other companies. All attributes that
somewhat put it in contrast to Apple’s Siri. The Google Assistant is also
available on just about every platform in one form or another, so there’s
nothing stopping you from giving it a whirl.
Cortana
Cortana is named after the AI character from the Halo series of video games. She’s Microsoft’s answer to Siri and is also integrated with the Windows 10 operating system. Microsoft doesn’t really have a stake in phone hardware anymore with the failure of Windows Phone, so Cortana is available as an app download on both the iOS and Android platforms.
The biggest advantage that Cortana has over the rest is how she bridges the gap between your mobile devices and Windows machine. The vast majority of users have Windows computers, so getting synced parity between your phone and computer is really a very useful boon.
Carrying on with this integration theme, Cortana also works perfectly with other Microsoft products such as Office 365 and Outlook, which also have massive user bases.
On the other hand, Cortana is tied to Bing
search. It makes sense, since that’s Microsoft’s search engine. However, Bing
is no Google, at least not yet. So your mileage may vary when it comes to
search functionality.
Get it on Android and iOS
Alexa
Alexa is the offering from online retail giant
Amazon. So it has deep integration with Amazon’s products and services. You can
buy anything from groceries to another Alexa smart speaker with just a few
words, which is a brilliant business strategy from Mr. Bezos.
There’s little doubt that Alexa rules the
smart speaker market, but on non-Amazon mobile devices she’s not quite that
popular. Still, if you do install Alexa on your Android or iOS device there’s a
lot to like about this peppy digital personality.
Alexa has plenty of “skills” that let her do
things like be a great kitchen helper, read bedtime stories, track calories and
locate your phone.
As a general voice assistant, Alexa is a
little less impressive, but if you are heavily invested in the Amazon ecosystem,
well, you’re probably already using Alexa.
Get it on Android and iOS
The Underdog Contenders
If going along with the mainstream isn’t quite
your thing, plenty of smaller developers are taking a swing at being your next
AI assistant. In order to stand out from the crowd, these assistants usually
try to do some things that are unique or some things particularly well.
Hound
Hound is brought to you by the some wonderful people who gave us SoundHound. The app that can listen to the song currently playing and tell you who it is. A need so common, that an entire business could be built around it.
Hound obviously drops the “sound” bit of the
name and offers general purpose search, but with the same sense of innovation
that SoundHound is known for. The main selling point is their advanced natural
language technology. Speed, accuracy and natural speech are the three pillars
hound is built on.
Get it on Android and iOS
Bixby
Like Siri, Bixby is exclusive to one particular hardware platform. In this case, it’s only available on Samsung phones. Some phones that feature Bixby actually have a dedicated physical button to summon this digital servant, which is either a bonus or an irritation, depending on your point of view.
When Bixby first launched users had to deal
with plenty of teething troubles, but it’s a much more robust piece of software
now. It’s main advantage is that Bixby is better-integrates with Samsung phone
hardware.
Despite joking about how annoying the Bixby
button can be, Bixby itself has really matured over the years. We’re are now
into the third phone generation that supports Bixby and this digital butler has
a few tricks up its sleeves.
With more than 3000 voice commands under the
belt, it’s almost possible to control your entire phone experience just using
your voice. There’s also Quick Commands,
which are essentially voice macros. You can set up a series of commands that
can be triggered with a single word or phrase. Basically, Bixby is the most
direct competitor to Siri, so if you own one of the Samsung phone models that
features Bixby, it’s worth giving it a shot instead of heading straight to the
Google Assistant. Besides, these two assistants live happily along one another
on the same phone.
Robin
Robin has been marketed as the Android
equivalent of Siri, but at the same time this if officially beta software.
Which means if you give Robin a try you’re helping shape the assistant into
what it will one day be.
Right now, it’s still a pretty basic service.
You can do internet searches, get the news, weather updates and so on. You can
make calls, text and initiate navigation. The overall consensus seems to be
that Robin is a neat voice assistant, but that it needs some more polish to
become more reliable and functional.
Robin was built first and foremost to be a
podcast and internet radio control system for driving, but it’s growing into
more. If it keeps improving as it as however, this could be the true Siri
alternative for Android users.
Get it on Android
Lyra Virtual Assistant
Lyra is one of the most serious contenders
when it comes to knocking the top voice assistant products from their pedestals.
It’s a truly smart, innovative tool that promises to do great things. If enough
people catch on to it.
It’s a cloud-based, multi-platform assistant
which you can use on your desktop, laptop, tablet and phone. There are both
Android and iOS apps, so most mobile users are covered.
Like Google Assistant, Lyra has been designed
to be conversational. In other words, Lyra can communicate over multiple
queries, remembering what you said before and applying that information to the
current part of the conversation.
The developers of Lyra have put a lot of
effort into natural language processing resulting in an intelligent,
multilingual tool that’s right up there with the big players.
In terms of functionality, Lyra covers most of
what you’d expect. General queries, weather, social media, navigation and other
similar areas are amply covered. Lyra also has an incredibly friendly
interface, which makes it an underdog worth rooting for.
Get it on Android and iOS
Resistance is Futile
It seems that AI digital assistants are here
to stay and if they keep getting better the way they have been, that’s
excellent news. Once you have found one that works for you, it’s worth really
digging into what’s possible to automate.
Using your phone while driving in particular
is a game changer. Many assistants let you make calls, change music tracks and
dictate text message all without taking your hands off the wheels or your eyes
off the road.
