The Coronavirus vs Voice Technology in Asia
How COVID-19 has accelerated a “voice technology moment” that could change communication forever
The coronavirus has led to all kinds of innovation: Korea invented drive-through testing, Lithuania invented 3D-printed hands-free door handles, and at this point, nearly everyone has shifted their meetings and social events to a VoIP solution like Zoom.
But one of the most interesting technology trends to hit Asia during the coronavirus has been the rapid implementation and adoption of voice technology in everyday life: smart speakers and voice assistants that allow their users to communicate and transact without touching any surfaces.
Movie theatres in Korea are selling tickets via voice-controlled ticket booths. Usage of Alexa has dramatically increased in Japan. And China is deploying AI to make 40 contact-tracing calls per minute.
Suddenly many Asian businesses realize that having a voice-controlled element of their product or service will help them adapt to these changing times.
It appears that this special time will be counted as a “technology moment” — a moment in which a crisis accelerates societal change much faster than we would otherwise expect.
Voice AI Helps Avoid Touching Surfaces and Spreading the Virus
As the coronavirus is thought to last on surfaces for potentially up to 9 days, Beijing residents were asked back in January to glove up for elevator buttons and to minimize using credit cards or cash — and this has highlighted just how difficult (and dangerous) it can be to touch a phone as often as we do.
Spurred on by similar directives in Korea, Korean Samsung owners can now take their smartphones to any Samsung store for a “Galaxy Sanitizing Service”.
This is where voice technology comes in. If you have ever tried to make a grocery run, check your grocery list, make a mobile payment, and answer that call from your spouse all while trying to avoid touching your phone in a crowded grocery store, then you have probably at least considered trying out a voice assistant.
Prior to COVID-19, Voice-controlled Technology Was Already Growing Rapidly in Asia
Many of us Westerners first experienced voice control through Apple’s Siri, which was launched in the US in 2011. Over the last decade, Siri has been made available in six Asian languages (Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Malay, and Thai) and competitors Alexa and Google Assistant have also made serious forays into the Asian market.
Asian technology consumers are not limited to Western options, however. Korea, China, and Japan have also launched several voice-controlled smart speakers of their own. Voice technology was a natural next step for household names such as Korea’s Naver and China’s Baidu, and these technology companies are now benefiting from this trend.
Several factors make Asia a particularly ripe market for voice tech. “The high growth rate for speech and voice recognition market in [the APAC] region is attributed to the rapidly developing economies, presence of young population coupled with the rising disposable income, rising demand for high-level security systems, and increasing availability of speech and voice-enabled devices in this region.” says an excerpt from a report by Meticulous Market Research.
A Shift from Asian Call Centers Towards Chatbots and Voice AI
The coronavirus has also forced a reckoning for countries like the Philippines and India, which provide a large proportion of the world’s call center services. When strict lockdowns arrived in both countries, call centers scrambled to survive. While preparing their workforce to work from home, they watched losses mount as former clients shifted towards using chat bots and AI solutions.
Mohandas Pai, a tech investor in India and former executive at outsourcing groups Infosys, said to the FT: “Seeing as you’re working from home and there’s a lag in the service, we’ll use more AI, more chatbots, more automation. That is permanent change, automation will hit that sector very deeply.”
Asian Governments Use Voice AI for Messaging and Contact Tracing
Voice technology is not just exciting for the private sector. Governments throughout Asia are working together with voice AI providers to more efficiently contact and collect information about the spread of the virus.
For example, speech tech developer iFlytek launched an AI-powered automated calling system in China and South Korea to help track the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Based on your condition, you are advised to stay indoors for a 14-day quarantine observation … We will send your information to community health centres for follow-up and please contact residential committee for any help,” the AI bot is trained to say.
The voice robot, which collects and checks information such as personal identity, health condition and whereabouts through multiple questions, can make about 200 calls within five minutes, compared to the two to three hours it would take to do it manually.
Voice Assistant Usage Is Up Worldwide, but Asia Has Unique Potential
The trend in voice control adoption is certainly not restricted to Asia: British-based Voxly Digital, which develops voice apps for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, reported last month that 48 percent of people in Britain were using voice assistants more, since being home because of the coronavirus.
However, Asian countries are particularly likely to see high adoption of this technology due to initiatives by several Asian governments to encourage hands-free transactions, and due to very tech-friendly and young populations.
Residents in China, Korea, and Japan have also been quick to adopt other coronavirus-related technology, including contact tracing apps.
More Businesses Will Turn to Voice AI to Keep Employees and Customers Safe
Avi Greengart, a technology expert with market research company Techsponential, told AFP that he expects a wider choice of business uses for voice technologies as companies now face new health and safety concerns.
“Looking forward, office spaces will need to move towards more touch-free controls,” said Greengart.
Lotte Culture Works CEO Won-Gyu Won had his customers in mind when he spearheaded a shift towards voice-activated ticketing in Lotte’s movie theaters. Koreans are referring to these solutions as “untact” (no-contact) technology and are flocking to businesses that help them feel safe.
Spending More Time at Home? Then You are Spending More Time with Your Smart Speaker
One final reason why Asian consumers are using voice technology more and more: as we saw with the London example, a lot of Asia is now spending more time at home. Even as lockdowns are lifted, countries like Korea and Taiwan have past coronavirus outbreaks in mind (including MERS and SARS) and they know that staying home is the best way to stay safe.
For these families, Alexa (or Xiaodu, Clova, or Kakao) is no longer just for their wakeup call or evening meditation — she now plays podcasts while they cook three meals per day at home (or order meals from one of many delivery apps throughout Asia). A voice assistant helps families from India to Japan find the latest information about infections in their area, and orders at-home barber kits.
The more time we spend with our voice assistants, the more we come to see their convenience.
So Xiaodu, Xiaodu: tell us, how many more Asian businesses will add voice control functionalities because of the coronavirus?
We’re looking forward to finding out.
Sara Maria Hasbun is the founder of Meridian Linguistics, which provides Asian language data and linguistic consulting to technology companies.
