There have been various digital developments in the domain of no-contact encounters as a result of rapid surge in tech use across both consumer and business platforms, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One such technological interface that has seen tremendous adoption and expansion is Voice search and Assistance.

Combination of Indian and non-English language in the voice search industry has become a popular motivator of progress, which is making the channel feasible for wide range of multilingual population, from six to sixty years old people and more. According to Google, Hindi has become the second most popularly used language widely among its 500 million Google Assistance customers.

In India the Voice search queries has increased at the rate of 270% according to a joint analysis by Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and digital agency isobar title “The Voice Playbook” for India. People nowadays like to seek out experiences that are more contactless because of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Due to the existing widespread smartphone and internet penetration in India, and the increased demand for frictionless technological experience, it is predicted that 82% of mobile users use voice-activated technology.

There are few tech trends that will shape the Voice Search Industry in near future so it is important for the product developers and network operators to be aware about it.

• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: AI and ML advancements have made a significant impact on how we connect with our smart device and do web searches. Google’s RankBrain is a proper example, it is a component designed which uses ML to find the most relevant search engine query results. A complicated blend of AI and Machine Learning technologies is used in Voice Assistance and Search. Listening to and decoding voice input depending on dialect and personal speaking styles, providing answers fast and accurate in non-English languages as well, often covering a wide range of topics, is clearly not a job for a basic AI machine! Even though ‘Voice' becomes more widely accepted, AI and machine learning (ML) advancements are set to develop and grow multi-fold, boosting the rapid rise in Voice Platforms.

• IoT boom: The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical devices (or “things”) which are implanted with sensors, software, and other technologies in order to connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the web. Well know examples of IoT devices like Alexa, Siri, and Cortana have been an important aspect in our fast-paced lives, and they are just the beginning of the IoT-powered smart Voice assistants' possibilities. The globe is about to be converted into a real-life Sci-Fi movie with an increasing amount of “connected gadgets” or “smart devices” coming into picture, powered by Voice Command and Voice navigations.

• SEO and Content Marketing: The method and style of data entry and output have changed considerably as a result of the shift from mechanical to voice-based searches. Which started as “Voice Search” helper is now the king of search engines, assuming it an important and significant role. The world has witnessed a lot of progress, whether starting from modifying algorithms, recognising voice inputs to now building a new infrastructure to assist brands in navigating voice-based SEO and marketing solution. Branding, infotainment, news, and instructional material styles and usage are all going to be transformed by voice search and voice assistants.

• Cloud Computing and Remote access: Cloud computing is a game-changing technology which has not only altered the digital operations scene, but also opened the path for future technological advancement like such bringing Big Data and Data analytics in this new era. Further, Cloud Computing is poised to become the primary canvas on which the whole Voice-based, AI and ML enabled IoT infrastructure will solidify, strengthening Cloud Computing's position as a key component of the virtual human era.

India has already turned itself into Video first digital market and now it is soon on its way to become worlds first largest Video-first Internet market, with the ongoing technological trends in the mind, the age of creativity is poised to redefine all the B2B and B2C interactions into “Voice” as a channel for all the customer-facing platform. In this new era of technological revolution, it wouldn’t be a new surprise if the brands began to offer voice- activated services as an alternative to self-checkout counters, ATMs, elevators, autos and other locations effectively replacing with touch screen.