Alexa, We’re Still Trying to Figure Out What to Do With You - The New York Times

From a virtual assistant reality check; also see the Voice section of Steven Sinofsky's CES 2018: Real Advances, Real Progress, Real Questions

"The challenge isn’t finding these digitized helpers, it is finding people who use them to do much more than they could with the old clock/radio in the bedroom.

A management consulting firm recently looked at heavy users of virtual assistants, defined as people who use one more than three times a day. The firm, called Activate, found that the majority of these users turned to virtual assistants to play music, get the weather, set a timer or ask questions.

Activate also found that the majority of Alexa users had never used more than the basic apps that come with the device, although Amazon said its data suggested that four out of five registered Alexa customers have used at least one of the more than 30,000 “skills” — third-party apps that tap into Alexa’s voice controls to accomplish tasks — it makes available."

Alexa, We’re Still Trying to Figure Out What to Do With You - The New York Times