Voice assistant and holidays
Dec 07, 2021
7 MIN READ

2021 in Review: Celebrate the Season of Voice AI with These Resources

There have been many exciting developments in voice AI this last year, from monetization and voice shopping to voice assistants on the edge and new voice-enabled devices. We’ve seen voice assistants expand across industries, with more and more companies realizing the benefits of voice AI technology. Brands are also starting to consider important aspects, such as ethics, gender, accents, and cultural biases, for their voice assistants. 

Voice assistant usage has continued its rapid growth among users and expansion across industries this year. According to Voicebot.ai’s annual report, there were 127.1 million in-car voice assistants in the U.S. alone. In addition, Statista predicts that the total number of global voice assistants will grow from 4.2 billion in 2020 to 8.4 billion by 2024. The demand for voice assistants is continuing to increase, and the new year is bound to bring about even more innovations and expansions.

There’s a lot about voice AI technology to be thankful for, and as we wrap up the year, we wanted to celebrate with some of our top voice AI resources, including webinars, podcasts, guides, white papers, infographics, and blogs. Check out our 2021 favorites below, or head over to our Resources or Blog pages for the full scoop.

Webinars & Podcasts

The Shift to Customized Voice Assistants: How Will You Compete?

Research Results

Opus ResearchSoundHound Inc., and RAIN discuss findings from a global survey of 320 decision-makers across 8 industries, including top brands Marriott, Siemens AG, Univision Communications, Capital One, Starbucks, and United Airlines. They also share current trends, key challenges, and untapped opportunities for implementing custom voice assistants.

Watch the webinar

AI in Banking and Finance – Now and Into the Future

Watch industry experts, Mike Zagorsek, COO, SoundHound Inc., and Keri Roberts, Brand Evangelist, ReadSpeaker.ai, discuss the integration of SoundHound’s Voice AI platform into banking applications, the current state of voice assistants in the financial industry, and SoundHound’s vision for the future of voice AI. 

Watch the interview

How Voice AI is Disrupting Industries

A recent VUX World podcast took a deep dive into how voice AI is disrupting multiple industries. Special guest Mike Zagorsek, COO, SoundHound Inc., spoke with hosts Kane Simms and Dustin Coates of VUX World about the SoundHound Voice AI platform. Mike highlighted how some of SoundHound’s partners (Mercedes-Benz, Pandora, and Mastercard) are using voice to create deeper relationships with their customers and extend the functionality and convenience of their products and services.

Watch the interview

What it Takes to Deploy a Custom Voice Assistant

In a recent episode of The Voicebot Podcast, host Bret Kinsella, founder and CEO of Voicebot.ai, talked to Mike Zagorsek, COO, SoundHound Inc., about what it takes to create and launch a custom, branded voice assistant. The podcast included insights into the current state of the voice AI industry, why the world’s leading brands are using custom voice assistants to add value to their brands, and advice on how to get started and what to avoid when working on a voice-first strategy.

Listen to the podcast

SoundHound Inc. Powering a World of Voice-Enabled Products—A presentation at Project Voice Worldwide 2021

Every year, Project Voice brings together leaders in the voice AI space and those wanting to learn the latest trends, news, and best practices for implementing a voice-first strategy. This year, Michael Zagorsek, COO, SoundHound Inc., discussed the history of SoundHound and its products, focusing on the company’s advanced voice AI platform. 

The presentation also included key findings from a global survey of 320 business leaders from 8 key industries. Research results highlighted the current state of voice assistant adoption, challenges, and the future outlook for companies around the world. 

Watch the presentation

VOICE Global 2021 | Mastercard Opened the Door to Voice Experiences for Restaurants & Retailers

As part of Voice Global 2021Pete Balsavias, Senior Vice President, Global Commerce Innovation, Mastercard and Mike Zagorsek, COO, SoundHound Inc., discussed the importance of a collaborative partnership to build custom voice AI solutions, Mastercard’s innovation in the QSR and retail space, and how they envision the future of voice technology and sonic branding.

Watch the webinar

Voice AI in Noisy Environments

What happens to a voice assistant that can’t filter through background noise? It risks losing accuracy, creates user frustration, and is abandoned—maybe forever. Discover the importance of building voice AI in noisy environments with VUX World’s Founder, Kane Simms, and SoundHound’s Director of Business Development, Andrew Richards.

Watch the webinar

The New Age of Voice Commerce

Watch our panel of industry experts, including Elissa Dailey, Director of Strategy, RAIN, Hans Puvogel, COO, Parkopedia, Michael Zagorsek, COO, SoundHound Inc., and Keri Roberts, Brand Evangelist, ReadSpeaker.ai, discuss monetization trends and market conditions that are paving the way for a new age of voice commerce. From interactive voice ads to proactive and responsive suggestions, learn how voice commerce is emerging as a source of revenue and a way to prove ROI on voice investments. 

Watch the webinar

Guides & White Papers

The Business Value of Customized Voice Assistants

A survey from Opus Research revealed that 67% of top brands are already implementing voice assistants. Many of them are moving away from the inherent restrictions of depending on a third-party platform, such as Google and Alexa, and setting their goals on a custom, branded voice experience. Opus Research has created a report to discuss the findings of the survey, including the business case for investment in voice AI, perceived challenges that reflect opportunities, and communicating the value of voice assistants

Discover the results

Voice Assistants Evolve to Become Revenue Generators

The future of voice AI is monetization. Already, creative solutions and partnerships are being formed that will lead voice assistants into the future as revenue generators for brands of all types. In this guide, we’ll lead you through recent developments and trends in voice assistant monetization, including transforming voice assistants into revenue generators, key technologies opening the door to monetization, and the future outlook for voice commerce and monetization.

Read the guide

Discover the Possibilities of Voice Assistants on the Edge

Even as voice assistants become ubiquitous, the true potential of voice AI is just now being realized by manufacturers in a variety of industries, including smart devices, hearables, wearables, wireless headphones, and equipment in the medical and manufacturing industries.

The wider variety of connectivity options for voice-enabled products is opening the door to greater potential for product differentiation and innovation. When the cloud is not available or not required, voice assistants on the edge make users’ lives easier and more efficient. 

Read the guide

Infographics

8 Industry Infographics

A survey by Opus Research of 320 leaders in 8 industries revealed that top companies recognize the value of custom voice assistants for their customers. The findings confirmed that voice assistants are becoming ubiquitous. The benefits for users—including increased customer satisfaction—are understood across industries. While the end goal may be to have an omnichannel experience, industries are placing their immediate attention in different channels, dependent on current customer demands and desires.

Check out all the industry infographics here or select your industry of interest below: 

Blogs

Our Speech-to-Meaning® Blog has published over 70 blogs in 2021! Check out some of our most popular reads.

8 Reasons Why Voice Ordering Technology is on the Menu for QSRs

QSRs are serving up voice assistants on their mobile apps, kiosks, drive-thrus, and drive-ins to make it easier than ever for customers to order their favorite meals. Discover the 8 reasons why QSRs are using voice AI technology for fast, accessible, and hands-free ordering experiences. 

Read the blog

How SoundHound Inc. CEO, Keyvan Mohajer, Took on the Giants and Succeeded

Recently, Keyvan Mohajer, Co-Founder and CEO, SoundHound Inc., talked with Pejman Nozad, Founding Managing Partner, Pear VC, an early seed technology fund in Silicon Valley, as part of a video series focusing on successful Iranian-American founders. During the discussion, Keyvan talked about the early days at SoundHound Inc., its founding, the lessons he’s learned over the past 20 years spent scaling multiple companies, and a few secrets to his success.

Read the blog

Is Emotional Intelligence the Next Step for Voice AI?

What can voice assistants currently achieve with emotional intelligence, and what does the future hold for it? Find out voice AI’s emotional intelligence capabilities in-car, in call centers, in TTS systems, and how to apply emotion design to voice assistants.

Read the blog

The Future of Voice Assistants In-Car and On the Go

What are the six main considerations for putting customized voice AI on your vehicle roadmap? Discover what factors auto manufacturers should evaluate as they determine whether they should build, buy, or partner to develop their in-car voice assistant. 

Read the blog

How to Design Voice Assistants for Noisy Environments

What are the six main considerations for putting customized voice AI on your vehicle roadmap? Discover what factors auto manufacturers should evaluate as they determine whether they should build, buy, or partner to develop their in-car voice assistant. 

Read the blog

Interested in more of 2021’s top webinars, podcasts, guides, infographics, and blogs? Head on over to our Resources or Blog pages for more voice AI content. 

Our team at SoundHound wishes you a very happy holiday and a new year filled with voice AI!

At SoundHound Inc., we have all the tools and expertise needed to create custom voice assistants and a consistent brand voice. Explore Houndify’s independent voice AI platform at Houndify.com and register for a free account. Want to learn more? Talk to us about how we can help bring your voice strategy to life.

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