As with most writing sessions, the first thing I do is open a new Google Doc, where I create a draft of the next interesting topic to blog about. I then choose the technologies I'm using with the same care as the letters I'm submitting, and Google seems to do the same.
Google alphabet
As I write this, Google's announcement about Alphabet is still fresh from last week. If it's slipped anyone's radar, Alphabet is Google's move toward independence for the more "distant" companies that previously flew under Google's wing. According to Alphabet CEO Larry Page, the new structure is intended to make the company cleaner, more accountable, and more streamlined. Alphabet is the parent company that will house a collection of companies ranging from Boston Dynamics to DeepMind (which makes up the B and D of the alphabet), but what caught my attention was the technology behind the letter O.
Ok Google
Enabled by voice recognition technology, Ok Google is voice search and wake-up actions for your web or mobile apps. Manage your calendar, navigation, entertainment, and more with your voice, letting Ok Google decipher. Simply say, "Ok, Google..."
“For example, say ‘Ok Google, I need an umbrella tomorrow’ to see if there’s rain in the weather forecast.”
We can expect Ok Google to start working in offline mode very soon, according to an Android Police report. Apparently, the new code in the app clearly refers to the possibility of voice commands without an internet connection. However, the number of strings is very limited to actions like playing music or sending texts.
Google commands
From Audrey to Siri… And Barbie
Voice recognition technology has been around for a few decades now, but it doesn't seem to be getting any older. Born in the 1950s with systems like Audrey, voice recognition really took off in the 1970s, but progress was still pretty slow (does the system understand?). In the last two years, however, things have started to move.
“First question asked of AI; “Is there a god?” First AI response; “There is now.”
@Elon Musk
Google's speech recognition technology now has an error rate of just 81 TP3T (down from 231 TP3T in 2013). "Simply put, machine speech recognition...will completely change the way humans interact with their computing devices," writes Tim Tuttle, CEO of Expect Labs. Thanks to deep speech and the virtuous cycle of AI, speech recognition is becoming "uncannily good," with progress in the past 18 months being more aggressive than what we've seen in the last 15 years combined. According to Tuttle, computers will start listening to us 24/7, and intelligent voice interfaces will soon be present in all types of apps.
“The virtuous cycle of artificial intelligence – the more it is used, the better it works as it collects more data and more users join.”
@tim_tuttle
The market is testing this newly improved technology in every possible way. Say hello to the smart Barbie, a doll equipped with voice recognition that can converse with users, such as children who play with her. This very first interactive doll has understandably raised privacy concerns regarding the fact that personal recordings of children's conversations with the doll are being sent to third-party companies. "The lack of user understanding and involvement of children, who are potentially unable to understand that their actions are being monitored," is an issue that must be addressed before this Barbie doll breaks house.
Spicy words to hide?
One of the popular statistics thriving on the internet these days is that millennials sleep with their phones. This is a funny way of saying that people these days, especially the younger generations, constantly carry their beloved devices with them. This underscores the apocalyptic phenomenon of eavesdropping, which is moving from the Hollywood screen to the minds of real users. Will god-like systems have access to everything I say and thus hand over the words to their preachers and corporations?
Ok Google is trying to circumvent the privacy issue by simply using "Ok Google" as a hotword. Only then will the technology be activated and the device will begin listening to what the user is saying. But it's questionable whether a hotword is secure enough.
S for safety
I'm amazed at the tremendous potential that voice offers in machines: from seamless weather forecasts and cost-effective calls to people around the world, to authentic conversations with robots. But for voice to truly achieve a smart future, it must also move closer to a secure future.
Today, constantly carrying a digital ear creates the feeling of being monitored rather than monitoring technology. In alphabetical terms, this makes me think Google should have assigned the S for security.
