Virtual voice-controlled assistants (VAs) such as Siri (Apple), Cortana (Microsoft Windows), and Google Now (Google), to name a few, have been around for some time, assisting people with questions such as, “What city has the area code 503?” or “Where can I find the nearest gas station?” or “What time does the concert end?” From these VAs, users get an answer that was scripted in advance by writers and programmers, saving the users time and, in some cases, resources.

The role of the VA is an evolution of voice-control features. While the initial use was for simple scenarios like dialing a hands-free call while driving, the technology soon became coupled with the same natural language speech recognition that allows a user to enter text in documents without a keyboard.