How AI plays a part in the future of content discovery

In a crowded media landscape, the majority of consumers feel overwhelmed by choice.

Emerging formats such as voice AI and visual AI are helping to make the complex simple, presenting a future where content finds consumers — not the other way around. When executed effectively, these technologies cater to consumers’ changing expectations for the conveniences of online experiences transferred to the real world, and the most compelling human components, such as personal advice or high-quality service, extended across digital experiences.

As creators and developers, how can we better anticipate consumer needs and prepare for future behaviors across the broader media ecosystem?

Hello Google — and Alexa too.

Global smart speaker sales hit a record high last year with shipments of 146.9 million units, up 70% over 2018, according to the Strategy Analytics Smart Speakers and Screens report.

When we look at what’s driving satisfaction among smart speaker users, we see that voice AI delivers on a clear set of benefits. The experience should be:

Fun + entertainment has carved out a big niche in the voice AI landscape. In fact, fun + entertainment actions are the second most used actions, after organization actions such as setting a timer or sending a calendar request.

Further, when we gauge consumer receptivity to future actions on the horizon, we see that consumers are most ready for actions that help them consume more content, such as reminding me to watch something on my “watchlist” or recording my favorite TV show, as well as those that make them more informed, such as giving me live/breaking news about subject matter I’ve told it I like. Consumers are more wary of actions connected to direct interaction or purchasing prompts, and most wary of interpretive actions, such as recommending something based on the tone of your voice or perceived mood.

As with many nascent technologies, privacy and personalization strike a delicate balance. The two enhancements that satisfy the most people are a privacy mode to stop it from listening (35%), and habit learning or automating alerts based on my routine (26%). The number one holdback is the “always listening” nature of the device, with less than 1/4 (16%) of people letting their device listen whenever it’s plugged in to collect information which will help voice assistants provide better recommendations.

Still, media consumption is the number one form of data people are willing to share with their devices, well above personal communications (14%), social media history (21%), banking information (27%), purchase history (28%) and location history (29%), driven by teens, US based consumers and users of fun + entertainment actions.

Voice has the potential to be the primary interface for consumers to cut through the clutter with accuracy, contextual relevance and curation.

In only a couple years, visual search is quickly rising and changing from an inspiration shopping tool — originally introduced a la Pinterest — to an increasingly valuable part of how people explore and engage with the world around them.

Visual search uses images (screenshots, Internet images, or photographs) as the stimuli for online searches and real-world product journeys. Consumers are increasingly turning to their cameras not only to capture pictures, but also to identify what they’re looking for when they don’t have the words to describe it.

Improvements in AI and computer vision are helping our technology to think more like us: visually, serving up more intuitive ways for consumers to find inspiration and information.

Current usage centers on finding information about products/services/items, and the top use cases consumers are most likely to try in the future also leverage the camera to easily surface immediate real-time information. From learning more about a desired product in the real world without needing to wait to speak with a sales rep, or communicating with anyone, anywhere with the help of real-time translation, consumers are ready to engage with the familiar interface of the camera to solve for a number of needs and curiosities.

While consumers might turn to Visual Search to find what they need with ease and speed, among current Visual Search users, 4 in 5 say the top three benefits Visual Search offers them are: hands-free discovery, access to relevant products and services and a camera-first way to discover the world. Functionally, Visual Search can be an effective shortcut, but there is a big opportunity for developers to create more sticky experiences by leaning into elements of surprise and delight.

Beyond the strong performance of current retail use cases as the top Visual Search experiences consumers “like” or “love,” consumers need more education to understand relevant use cases beyond retail, and the full value proposition Visual Search presents.

While consumers say Visual Search is more accurate than Voice Search, there are still three major pain points that drive lapsed usage: education, effectiveness and privacy.

When experimenting with new formats, creators and developers must communicate a clear value proposition around enhanced discovery.

Related posts:

Beaches are integral part of any Phuket tour. The island hosts an array of beaches, all of which have something distinct about them. Famous beaches like Patong, Karon, Kata and Kamala are located in…