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Voice messaging is becoming the new texting

Thanks to AI improvements, voice messaging is quickly gaining popularity

Ignoring phone calls or missing a call and forgetting to call back is something most people can relate to. Texting has been an easy solution, allowing conversationalists to quickly send important details without having to go through the “Hi, how are you?” dance.

But even that medium has had its day with voice messaging on the rise. In North America, WhatsApp users send 65 billion messages each day, with 200 million of those being voice messages. In China, WeChat users send 6.1 billion voice messages daily.

“Voice is an effective communication tool,” says Amber Mac, technology expert and president of AmberMac Media, Inc. “For individuals with any type of accessibility issues, such as difficulty seeing or operating a small screen, there are benefits that cross all generations. Whether you’re eight or 88, chances are that you are comfortable using voice technology.”

In addition to ease of use, emotion can be hard to read with text messaging and that can lead to misinterpreting messages. Voice messaging helps solve that problem. 

“The natural way for humans to gather information or book a service is by conversing,” says Kundan Joshi, founder and CEO of TheAppLabb, a leading mobile and web app developer. “Texting is popular, but obviously voice is even more natural.”

And in a fast-paced world where we’re already stretched for time, any system that can help us do things faster and easier is considered better. This includes speaking into your phone instead of typing a message, whether that means using talk-to-text messaging or straight voice messaging like a modern-day walkie-talkie. 

“Instantaneous real access through voice becomes a lot easier,” says Joshi. “This is becoming the reality.”

While talking has always been a better way to communicate, the technology wasn’t there to support it. “Machine learning and new technology, artificial intelligence (AI), have changed things,” he says. “There’s a lot more data about understanding the ways that people speak. There are better ways of understanding speech patterns…so based on what you’re saying, it can understand what you mean.”

Improved AI has advanced everything from talk-to-text messaging to online grocery ordering to booking doctors’ appointments. Joshi notes how these actions are most successful in niche spheres when requests are within a specified range. 

“Right now, we’re building an app for ordering food,” he says. “It’s a lot easier to do that because you expect to have certain phrases related to ordering food. The technology can be very accurate at understanding.”

So whether you’re placing an order for dinner or having quick banter with a buddy, it seems we’ll all be talking to our phones a lot more. 

LEARN MORE

CPA Canada will be releasing a primer on artificial intelligence this fall as well as a publication examining the impact AI may have on the profession. Also, read how AI is becoming an unstoppable reality.