- Gartner predicts that by 2019 virtual assistants will account for 20% of all smartphone interactions
- Amazon’s Alexa has taken the world by storm and can now integrate with an estimated 5,000 third-party apps – they have the early lead but lack a mobile device
- Apple’s Siri has not gotten much love – and even though she’s gotten better Apple does not have a device in the home space as prominently as Amazon
- Google’s new Google Assistant is found to rival and in many cases surpass its nearest competitors
- Assistant’s greatest strength may be the ability to answer follow-up questions, a feature many of its rivals lack
- Integration with Google Home smart speaker puts it squarely in competition with Amazon’s Echo
- Some researchers believe that Alexa will cede its early lead in the category to Google Assistant by 2020
- Microsoft’s Cortana is available across its Windows 10-based devices including phones, tablets and PC’s but does not have much adoption lacking a strong mobile or home presence today
- One thing is clear: nearly every person with a computer, tablet, smartphone, or home speaker system will have access to an AI powered virtual personal assistant in the coming year.