Are Compatible this 2 devices?
Staff Writer at businessnewsdaily.com
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly prevalent in everyday life, and AI assistants are one popular application of this technology. As the number of devices that support these tools continues to rise, consumers are becoming more curious about them.
To save you time and effort, we conducted an extensive hands-on test to compare the top AI assistants on the market. We tested four widely used AI assistants with a series of common business-related commands and questions optimized for context and voice recognition. Keep reading to see how products from Amazon (Alexa), Apple (Siri), Google (Google Assistant) and Microsoft (Cortana) measure up and which might be right for your needs.
Accessibility and trends
Accessibility refers to the number of devices that host the virtual assistant. Here’s how the various AI assistants compare in this category, listed from the most accessible to the least accessible.
Google Assistant is available on all Android and iOS devices, as well as on Chromebooks. Google has its own line of Google Home speakers, including the Google Home Mini ($49) and Google Nest Audio ($99.99), all of which are built for use with Google Assistant. Google also makes it easy to search via third-party Google AI-enabled speakers, like the Harman JBL Link Music ($119.95), Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 2 ($3,199) and Solis SO-2000 ($149.99). The fact that so many major players in the speaker and headphones space are releasing Google AI-enabled hardware at varying prices speaks volumes as to who is coming out ahead in the AI-assistant space.
Amazon’s smart assistant, Alexa, is accessible through the Amazon Echo line of speakers, Fire tablets and Fire TV. Of all the AI assistants we studied, Alexa may have the biggest advantage for business use, since it’s available on the widest variety of device designs. Although Google’s AI assistant can be found on plenty of speakers, they all look similar. Amazon, in contrast, sells dozens of Alexa-enabled designs, including speakers of all sizes and modern-looking speakers with glossy touchscreens.
There are also some third-party smart speakers and other devices that support Alexa, including the Sonos One wireless speaker ($2,199.99) and the Altec Lansing VersA Smart Portable speakers ($86.10). There is an Alexa app as well, but it’s intended primarily as a supplement to another Alexa device and not as a stand-alone AI assistant.
You can access Siri on nearly any Apple device, including MacBooks, iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches. Apple also sells its own speakers, called the HomePod ($299) and the HomePod mini ($99). Using Siri with a third-party device is possible, but it requires a HomePod mini to connect to your non-Apple device. According to Apple, this is to protect customer privacy so third-party devices can’t access your voice-based commands.
Microsoft’s AI assistant, Cortana, was launched in 2014 and was previously included on Windows machines. However, this AI assistant is no longer supported on Android and iOS devices. Microsoft also announced that Cortana would be retired from Windows in late 2023. Cortana won’t be going away entirely, though, as it will remain a standard integration in Microsoft Office products, such as Outlook and Microsoft Teams. Of course, this means Cortana is much less accessible than the other options on this list.
