(BI Intelligence)

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Google Assistant is six times more likely to answer a user’s question than Amazon Alexa is, according to a study by 360i.

Each AI-infused assistant was asked 3,000 questions, of which Google Assistant answered 72%, and Alexa answered only 13%.

As the rapidly burgeoning voice assistant landscape evolves, the initial results suggest that Google could be well-positioned to overtake Amazon in the voice assistant market, despite Amazon's early lead.

The ability to accurately understand and respond to users’ questions will be a key element to the usefulness and usage of a voice assistant. And the vast difference in performance by Google Assistant over Amazon could give it an edge as the voice-first ecosystem continues to expand. Here’s why:

• The company has access to massive buckets of contextual search data. Google’s Knowledge Graph is a database that leverages its search results to surface links between objects and entities. For instance, a search about Star Trek doesn’t just give information about Star Trek, but also about the cast and other facts related to the show.

• The Google developer community is robust. Google has strong ties to the developer community through Android and its other offerings. These developers can rapidly build voice apps for Google, and they're global, which could give Google a leg up if it begins expanding into more international markets.

• Google has made investments in AI companies that will drive the development of Google Assistant. The most visible and highest-impact effort Google has made in this space is its 2014 acquisition of DeepMind, a UK-based AI company that aims to create truly intelligent software. DeepMind announced in October 2016 that its AI was capable of teaching itself using information it had access to.

Still, Amazon has established a solid lead over competitors in the connected voice market. The company’s Echo installed-base, large volume of Alexa skills (voice apps), and multitude of partnerships with third-party connected devices, has helped it capture mindshare and carve out a solid segment of the voice assistant market. And Alexa has a ton of room for growth; just 5% of Amazon customers own an Echo, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. For context, 51% have a subscription to Prime, 34% own a Kindle Fire, and 6% own a Fire TV.

Jessica Smith, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on the voice assistant landscape that:

• Identifies the major changes in technology and user behavior that have created the voice assistant market that exists today.

• Presents the major players in today's market and discusses their major weaknesses and strengths.

• Explores the impact this nascent market poses to other key digital industries.

• Identifies the major hurdles that need to be overcome before intelligent voice assistants will see mass adoption.

To get the full report, subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. » Learn More Now

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