Mumbai: Siri has been considered as one of the best intelligent personal assistants available on a device since 2010 but its makers Dag Kittlaus and Adam Cheyer have been stealthily working on a new AI technology; something far better than Apple’s voice support, as reported by The Washington Post.
Viv, the new and improved virtual assistant with ‘super-charged conversational capabilities’ has the potential to change the way we interact with devices, or even re-shape the way digital commerce works.
According to the report, the new technology can become a portal through which billions of people will be able to avail day-to-day services without making calls, typing, or even touching a smartphone.
Two of the top guns from the tech world—Google and Facebook—have already made offers to buy Viv, said the report. Moreover, the Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg is also an investor in the project.
Viv’s Chief Executive Kittlaus explained that his main aim revolves around creating a platform that enhances the way people have naturally interacted with each other for centuries and applying the same rule to communicate with services (digital platforms).
While enhancing AI technology is a major criteria, companies are investing on this project, as they realise the opportunity to become a significant link between businesses and consumers, as per the article.
Most virtual assistants that are available currently work on a specific set of algorithms and are only designed to answer a set of pre-programmed human questions. However, if an out-of-the-box question is placed before them, they fall flat on their faces.
However, what makes Viv unique is its flair of understanding how humans interact normally, and not via ‘scripted responses’.
For instance, while ordering a pizza, individuals can interact with Viv freely, as if they were placing orders to a service guy. In response, the instinctive virtual assistant can ask preferences such as toppings, pizza base, and many more.
Also, Kittlaus and Cheyer did not want Siri to be just an intelligent AI chatbot and the goal was to primarily reinvent mobile commerce.
Before Apple acquired Siri, it was able to buy tickets, make reservations, and many more functionalities, without breaking a sweat (no pop-up pages, no extra apps) due to its tie up with 42 web services including Yelp, StubHub, OpenTable and Google Maps.
However, all of that changed after Apple bought the assistant for its iPhone; all the partnerships dissolved after the purchase.
Indifferences between Apple and Kittlaus led to his silent exit from the firm, and Cheyer along with a third of Siri’s original team followed to design Viv, said the report.
The report further pointed out that the makers of Viv wanted Siri to be an open system rather than what it is today.
However, the most important decision for the duo is to find an apt distribution model to channelise the technology without making the mistake they made six years ago.
