Microsoft patent suggests you whisper to your voice assistants

While voice assistants have grown in popularity over recent years, many people still hesitate to use them in public spaces, and that's a problem Microsoft is looking to tackle. In a patent filing, the company notes that for a number of reasons -- not wanting to disturb those nearby, not wanting to share private information around strangers -- people often avoid issuing voice commands when in public. "Although performance of voice input has been greatly improved, the voice input is still rarely used in public spaces, such as office or even homes," says the patent filing. "These are not technical issues but social issues. Hence there is no easy fix even if voice recognition system performance is greatly improved."