Accenture research highlights voice tech trust gap

The majority of people using voice assistants have trust issues with their devices, according to a new study from Accenture. 28% of the 1,000 people surveyed said they shy away from using their device to make payments, others worry about transferring money (27%) and using it to pay bills (28%).

This reluctance, for 52%, comes from concerns about security or a fear of being hacked and having their personal details stolen (55%). More than one in five admit to leaving the room or lowering their voice to make sure their device can’t spy on them and 48% believe the technology is always listening – even when they’ve not been given a command.

“The take-up for voice assistants has been big, especially when you consider they’re a very new technology. However, many people are not using them to their full potential because of trust issues. There are a lot of mis-conceptions out there about how these voice assistants work” says Emma Kendrew, Artificial Intelligence Lead for Accenture.

On average, users are speaking to their voice assistant four times a day – more often than they speak to their family – but they are still most likely to use it to answer a random question or find out a fact (54%), followed by checking the weather forecast (50%) and listening to music (45%). The average user is taking advantage of only six of their device’s functions, which is barely the tip of the iceberg when the Amazon Echo, for example, has over 45,000 to choose from.

“Customers are sending a clear message that they need to feel greater confidence in the technology and its providers. We’re confident that this trust will develop as more security standards and integrity are built into voice technology. E-commerce and online banking went through the same stages of development – once there is tighter security, people will use it more. Once voice assistants are seen as more trustworthy, people will come to see how they can improve everyday tasks, literally without lifting a finger,” says Kendrew.

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