Siri creators unveil Viv, a voice assistant that responds in natural language and learns from its owner
This new AI assistant is still under development, but it stands out from current competitors as a solution that's available to everyone, and which writes responses as it goes rather than relying on pre-programmed replies.
Dag Kittlaus and Adam Cheyer, who previously created Apple's Siri, have unveiled an original alternative voice assistant called Viv. Viv has been under development since 2012, and is billed as a more ambitious voice assistant than Siri thanks to its ability to respond to queries expressed in natural language. According to its creators, Viv can, for example, work out how to respond to complex questions like: "Will it be warmer than 21 degrees at the Golden Gate Bridge after 5pm the day after tomorrow?" The assistant cross-references a multitude of contextual data from online sources to form a response that's as accurate and intelligible as possible.
Whereas other voice assistants search a database for pre-programmed replies, Viv is innovative because it writes its own code, learning as it goes, with each new question it answers. Viv's responses also get more pertinent over time as it learns to get to know its owner.
This assistant should allow users to achieve all kinds of tasks by simple voice command, such as booking a hotel room or sending someone money, as well as responding to precise scenarios based on alerts. Finally, Viv should also have the power to make connected objects interact with each other in response to all manner of queries, no matter what their brand or operating system.
Viv certainly stands out from the current crop of more limited voice assistants, such as Apple's Siri, Google Now, Microsoft Cortana and Amazon Echo. However, it remains to be seen whether Viv will remain an independent upstart sending shockwaves through the sector, or whether it will be snapped up by the likes of Google, Apple, Facebook or Amazon.
Find out more about Viv: viv.ai