Digital Assistants like Siri, Google Assistant to go mainstream by 2019: Gartner

NEW DELHI: Consumers will increasingly use digital personal assistants to interact with consumer services in the connected home, according to global consultancy firm Gartner. It predicts that, by 2019, in at least 25% of households in developed economies, the digital assistants on smartphones and other devices will serve as the primary interface to connected home services.


"In the not-too-distant future, users will no longer have to contend with multiple apps; instead, they will literally talk to digital personal assistants such as Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant. Some of these personal assistants are cloud-based and already beginning to leverage smart machine technology,” said said Mark O'Neill, research director at Gartner.

As we move into a 'postapp' world, where devices and services from multiple sources can be blended together for access via digital personal assistants interface, APIs are the key to this integration.

As more providers and devices become available, different ecosystems will form around each large tech provider as they build partnerships. This change will enable individual industries to use the connected home as a new business channel for their services.


"APIs are the key to interoperating with new digital interfaces and a well-managed API program is a key success factor for organizations that are interested in reaching consumers in their connected homes," said O'Neill. "In the emerging programmable home, it is no longer best to spend time and money on developing individual apps. Instead, divert resources to APIs, which are the way to embrace the postapp world."