Earlier this month at its I/O developer conference, Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG)(NASDAQ:GOOGL) subsidiary Google wowed everyone by demonstrating a new conversational artificial intelligence (AI) technology called Google Duplex, a system that will become part of Google Assistant and will allow the virtual assistant to make phone calls on a user's behalf. The demonstration was striking because it sounded uncannily human, which has raised all sorts of ethical questions. The article originally appeared in Motley Fool. Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) virtual assistant Cortana has some catching up to do (in more ways than one), and the software giant has just announced a new acquisition to that end. Microsoft is acquiring Semantic Machines, a small start-up based in Berkeley that specializes in conversational AI.

Microsoft today announced that it has acquired Berkeley, California-based AI company Semantic Machines. The acquisition, Microsoft says, will help it build upon its burgeoning AI efforts to make speaking with digital assistants like Cortana and bots more like carrying on a natural conversation. Currently, interacting with bots and digital assistants involves issuing simple commands or queries, such as asking for the latest sports score or setting a reminder. Going forward, Microsoft wants to evolve these interactions to be much closer to how you would speak another human. That's where Semantic Machines comes in.

Earlier this month at its I/O developer conference, Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) subsidiary Google wowed everyone by demonstrating a new conversational artificial intelligence (AI) technology called Google Duplex, a system that will become part of Google Assistant and will allow the virtual assistant to make phone calls on a user's behalf. The demonstration was striking because it sounded uncannily human, which has raised all sorts of ethical questions. Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) virtual assistant Cortana has some catching up to do (in more ways than one), and the software giant has just announced a new acquisition to that end. Microsoft is acquiring Semantic Machines, a small start-up based in Berkeley that specializes in conversational AI. The goal is to help virtual assistants evolve beyond just simple commands and allow them to better understand broader context and have ongoing conversations with users.

Voice control gadgets – such as Amazon's Alexa, Google's Home or Apple's Homepod – are becoming increasingly popular, but people should pause for thought about advances in machine learning that could lead to applications understanding different emotions in speech. The CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, recently said that 20% of the company's searches are initiated by voice via mobile phones. And, at the end of 2017, analysis of the US market suggested that a total of 44m Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices had been sold. The technology has increasingly impressive abilities to recognise words, but – as an expert on acoustics – it is clear to me that verbal communication is far more complex. How things are said can be just as important as the words themselves.

For years, Apple has used the stage of its Worldwide Developers Conference to announce upgrades to the Siri personal assistant that would make it more useful. This year's plan, according to a Siri trick Apple has put out there: Siri will be smarter, get a new look and a new voice. Ask Siri to tell you about the WWDC conference, which starts June 4th in San Jose, and you get one of three answers both in audio and written form. It might be all that late night studying I've been doing." If readers feel like they've read this before, welcome to the club.

IVR is Here to Stay Maximizing customer satisfaction at minimum cost is the top goal for any business offering customer service. Many businesses use Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology to automate frequently performed phone transactions via pre-recorded voice prompts and dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tones of the phone keypad (i.e., "Press 1 for Sales, press 2 for Billing, press 3 to speak to a representative…."). The most common uses for IVR include the automation of service selection, caller identification, self-service, and caller preparation. Today's use of IVR is generally helpful to callers, but listening to lengthy menu options can significantly lower the customer experience. In this blog, we consider how we can use IVR to its fullest potential, and what will IVR be like in the future.

Microsoft wants to make Cortana more human-like. The software giant announced it's acquiring artificial intelligence startup Semantic Machines to help its voice assistants and chatbots carry on more natural conversations with humans. Microsoft didn't disclose how much it paid in the deal, but said Berkeley, California-based Semantic would bring a'revolutionary new approach to building conversational AI'. Microsoft's Cortana is about to get smarter. The firm said it bought Semantic Machines to make its digital assistant more human.

Apple may have released the HomePod just a few months ago, but rumors are already circulating about what's in store next for the smart speaker. The latest is that the iPhone maker could be preparing to release a cheaper version of the $350 HomePod, according to Chinese site Sina. The device would be priced at a significant discount of up to $200, and would be available through Apple's Beats audio brand. Apple might be releasing a cheaper, smaller version of its HomePod speaker. The report from Sina doesn't mention when a cheaper HomePod would go on sale, but noted that Apple is discussing the plans with one of its suppliers, a Taiwanese chip manufacturer called MediaTek.

Last year, Gartner predicted that 30% of all web browsing will be done without a screen by 2019. More importantly, nearly 1/3rd of all searches would be voice led in 2018. Interestingly, most of these voice searches might not come from your smart phones, but from your Amazon Echo or Google Home or Apple Homepod! Home assistants are taking the world by storm, and in the process, they're changing user behavior in a way quite similar to the way smartphones changed the way people interacted with their devices and the internet back when they first launched. Among its competitors, Amazon's Alexa is definitely a clear leader and has the most mature offering.

The Basware Assistant uses natural language processing and artificial intelligence to create a new and simplified way for people to interact with Basware's e-procurement solution. They can communicate with the Basware Assistant like they would with a person, to search for orders and purchase requests using vendor and item names, as well as ID and document numbers. By giving people the ability to specify what they are looking, it eliminates the need for having to navigate a series of screens to reach their intended purchase. Through its natural language processing and AI capabilities, the virtual assistant improves system usability, taking another step in streamlining the overall procurement experience. Not only does it help people find purchase orders and order requests more quickly and save them time, it also reduces the training required for new people to buy with Basware.