Since you’re driving, you can’t use your phone. But you really need to know when the next Marvel movie is coming out. What are you doing (and 52% of people) Do? You use voice search! Voice search or voice-to-text search is supposedly the next big thing. Let’s find out if this is true and whether it is good news or bad news.

What is voice search or voice-to-text search?

The name says it all: instead of using a keyboard to search online, you use your voice. However, this is not possible without a program or practical search assistants such as Google or Alexa. They convert your voice to text and then use that prompt to fulfill your request. A voice search might sound like this: “Hey Google, how many people live in Wijchen?”

(The answer is 40,951 as of 2019).

Are people using voice-to-text search more?

Let’s look at some numbers. A study by Uberall found that 21% of people used voice search on one weekly Base. A HubSpot survey found that 74% of people had used voice search in the last month. And last but not least, almost 50% of people now research products using voice search before purchasing.

Looking at these numbers, there’s no denying that voice search is becoming increasingly popular. But why?

Why do people use voice search more?

Obviously, much of this growth can be attributed to smart devices like Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google. Because they are everywhere. You can talk to your phone, laptop, tablet, car, speaker, thermostat and probably many more. Sure, that was possible before, but now these devices actually understand what you say. Since voice search is ubiquitous, it’s not hard to understand why people are starting to use it.

Another reason is that it is easy. As we just discovered, voice search is almost always within reach. And it’s much faster to ask a question than to open a web browser or app, type your query, scroll through the results, and then choose one that sounds good.

Better and smarter

Yes, we are dealing with AI again. Now that machine learning capabilities are better, our voice assistants are getting smarter over time. This means that the more you use voice search, the better it understands your preferences and gives you the answer you are looking for.

An accessible option

Better voice-to-text search devices also mean greater independence for people with disabilities who cannot use a keyboard or touchscreen. Tasks that were once difficult or impossible are now suddenly possible with the help of Google, Siri or Alexa. That’s great news.

And it doesn’t stop there. Voice-to-text devices can also help people with visual impairments, as a voice assistant can read aloud a webpage, blog post, or email. And it is also useful for people with hearing impairments. When they join a meeting, a voice assistant can convert what is said into text.

The problems with voice search

All good things, right? Something like that. The problems arise when we start dealing with the language. Most language assistants are exceptionally well trained in English, but that shouldn’t be a problem since everyone speaks English, right? Incorrect. 75% of people in the world don’t speak English at all. How useful are these voice assistants anyway?*

Still, of that 25% that Do speak English, only 6% are native speakers. This means that 19% of people likely have an English accent or are unfamiliar with certain English phrases, sayings or metaphors. And since voice assistants rely heavily on natural language processing and machine learning, this means that these 19% of people will have a harder time using voice-to-text devices.

*While Google goes one step further with more than 40 languages ​​available for voice search, Siri only speaks 21 languages ​​and Alexa only speaks eight.

Independent or dependent?

While voice assistants enable people with disabilities to become more independent, it could have the opposite effect for other people. Because just using voice search has its limitations. Voice search offers you one Answer. Usually the one at the top of the search results. Now we know that Google’s Helpful Content update ensures that the top results are helpful, but it’s not 100% certain. And when we look at the top results these days, we see…advertising.

If people use voice search exclusively and unconditionally (because it is so easy), they will only learn about it one answer and one Narrative. And this scenario is not so far-fetched. People are already using ChatGPT to answer their questions without checking if the answers are there Strictly speaking correct.

Hey Google, are you biased?

Remember the 6% of people whose first language is English? It turns out that it must be you Right You must speak English for certain smart devices to understand you. If you’re from the UK or Ireland, there’s a good chance your device won’t understand you.

Additionally, smart devices have difficulty understanding input from people who are not white men. Like facial recognition, voice recognition performs worse for women and BIPOC people. And while this may not be intentional, it is still problematic.

What do voice assistants have in common?

To examine the biases of voice assistants more closely, we cannot ignore the fact that the majority of them are still women by default. And this, as UNESCO so aptly says in its report: “sends the signal that women are courteous, docile and helpful helpers, reachable at the touch of a button or with a clear voice command such as ‘Hey’ or ‘Hey’.” OK’ . The assistant has no decision-making authority beyond what the commander requires of him…In many communities, this reinforces the widespread gender bias that women are submissive and will tolerate poor treatment.”

Lots of potential and a lot of work

Conclusion: Voice-to-text search sounds great in theory, but it hasn’t quite arrived in practice yet. Devices that support voice search need to add and improve other languages ​​and abandon their biases. Because when I search online (if it even works for my voice), I want to know the truth; not just what applies to a group of people.

Read more: Why accessibility matters (in the age of AI) »