Siri, Alexa… many people automatically think of the small, table top device in their kitchen or living room that plays music, provides weather reports and answers random questions as a ‘Virtual Assistant’ rather than the relatively new industry of freelance, remote personal assistants and business support professionals who share the name.  But in a world where more and more services are becoming automated, will AI replace humans as the only ‘Virtual Assistants’ that matter? We’re not convinced…

The plus side…

AI VAs provide low cost labour, as they don’t require an ergonomic office chair, insurance or have office running costs that they need to factor into their hourly rate. They can be as mobile as you need, as you can easily man-handle them into a bag and bundle them onto a train, plane or boat without needing to purchase an additional ticket.  Unfortunately, in heavily rural settings their only use is as an expensive door-stop, unless you’ve got satellite internet or a reliable WIFI dongle.

AI VAs do, to some extent, have a sense of humour (just ask Siri to beat-box for you) and don’t get upset if you forget your manners and don’t say please or thank you.  If you enjoy conversations where your friend/family member/colleague has the opportunity to say very little, they could make a suitable social alternative. Just don’t expect a fulfilling debate or heartfelt conversation.

AI VAs can do simple things, like order tickets, buy products from online stores, and add appointments to your diary, but having experienced first hand the arrival of 100 items from Amazon rather than 10, I’m reluctant to give them too much say when it comes to corporate or personal spending!

The negatives…

The ability of an AI VA to write copy and audio-type relies heavily on the cost of the software you install to do this.  There are a thousand ‘cheap’ options for typing up words that you dictate, but with the vast majority throwing in bizarre words that you definitely didn’t say (i.e. ‘The swan in trousers agrees with the cost-cutting efforts proposed by the board’), it’s difficult to trust their output! I’ve also seen attempts by software to write literature, poetry and films… It wasn’t pretty.

I can’t help but find desktop AI speakers quite sinister – they are always waiting, always listening, and occasionally react to things that you didn’t actually say. I’ve seen too many articles about their ability to be used as a wiretap (i.e. https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-echo-alexa-skill-spying/) to feel comfortable having a normal and open conversation with one in earshot, and it’s a bit much having to watch your language in front of an inanimate object!

In terms of business support, the support that VA AI products can provide at the moment is pretty limited.  They lack creativity and are unable to be proactive (unless you have programmed them specifically to pre-empt certain things, like running out of toilet roll), and at present, can’t be trusted to implement actions without them having to be checked by a human.  To be honest, the limited support that they offer falls far below the skills and experience of a human ‘Virtual Assistant’, so I firmly believe in our community taking back the title and referring to AI VAs as ‘Sinister Overqualified Music Players’ from now on. Who’s with me!