Voice controlled digital gadgets: The fly on the wall that tells?

Nancy J. Beckley (nancy@nancybeckley.com) is President of Nancy Beckley & Associates LLC, a rehab compliance consulting firm in Milwaukee, WI.

Have you ever asked your personal digital assistant on your smartphone to look up something for you? Certain commands and words trigger a sequence. On an iPhone you can click and start your question by asking, for example, “Siri, can you find the nearest Oktoberfest?” In the past few years, we have experienced a boom of virtual devices that do everything: monitor household security, control televisions, manage the heating and cooling in your house, and create playlists. In fact, on a recent visit to my local Apple store, I created a playlist by instructing HomePod: “Siri, create a play list of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.” Siri confirmed, and within minutes, everyone at my table was rocking out to “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” I overstayed my visit at the Apple store so I could listen to all the songs!

This document is only available to members. Please log in or become a member.


Would you like to read this entire article?

If you already subscribe to this publication, just log in. If not, let us send you an email with a link that will allow you to read the entire article for free. Just complete the following form.

* required field