Since Siri debuted on the iPhone 4s back in 2011, voice assistants have gone from unworkable gimmick to the basis for smart speaker technology found in one in six American homes. "Before Siri, when I talked about [what I do] there were blank stares," Tom Hebner, head of innovation at Nuance Communications, which develops cutting edge A.I. voice technology, told Digital Trends. "People would say, 'Do you build those horrible phone systems? That was one group of people's only interaction with voice technology." According to eMarketer forecasts, almost 100 million smartphone users will be using voice assistants by 2020.

Since Siri debuted on the iPhone 4s back in 2011, voice assistants have gone from unworkable gimmick to the basis for smart speaker technology found in one in six American homes. "Before Siri, when I talked about [what I do] there were blank stares," Tom Hebner, head of innovation at Nuance Communications, which develops cutting edge A.I. voice technology, told Digital Trends. "People would say, 'Do you build those horrible phone systems? That was one group of people's only interaction with voice technology." According to eMarketer forecasts, almost 100 million smartphone users will be using voice assistants by 2020.

Right now, there is no common ground with most of the AI technology consumers engage with. Instead of knowing who you are by simply the sound of your voice, most people are identified as a fresh user every time. Logging you in, authenticating you and knowing your history will be critical--and it all must be done seamlessly. Pins, passwords, security questions won't cut it,