Company
Date Published
Author
Braden Ream
Word count
2499
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

The emergence of independent voice assistants (IVAs) and general voice assistants for the masses (GVAs) presents an opportunity for brands to create a differentiator in the market. IVAs offer better customer experiences, protecting brand data and owning customer relationships, which is particularly appealing in today's data-driven world where consumers are increasingly concerned about privacy. However, as GVAs continue to grow in reach and prominence, they will become the dominant platform for app ecosystems, leading to a duality model where customers have both an IVA and a GVA. This will create a cognitive load for consumers, making it more convenient to use a single GVA with millions of high-quality 3rd-party apps rather than multiple IVAs. As a result, IVAs will become redundant in non-complex functionality cases, such as music streaming or news delivery, while continuing to thrive in niche areas like complex interactions, hardware integrations, and security-restricted environments. The market will eventually consolidate into a few leading GVAs with millions of 3rd-party apps, driven by economies of scale and the network effects from GVA app ecosystems.