Voice control is shaping up to be a game changer. Despite their relative novelty, digital voice assistants, smart speakers and other connected, voice-first devices are already having a dramatic impact on consumer behavior. They are helping people search for information, conduct business, consume content and shop in more natural and frictionless ways. This report examines the state of the market for these technologies and what’s likely to happen next.

• Voice control technologies represent the next phase in the evolution of human-machine interaction. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), data collection and cloud computing—and the expansion of the internet of things (IoT)—are propelling the market.
• Consumers worldwide are using voice control on a burgeoning number of smart devices, including smartphones and smart speakers. Currently, the US is the largest market, followed by China and South Korea.
• Top voice platform providers around the world are engaged in fierce competition to win over consumers to use their tech. Companies in the technology, retail, telecom, services and hardware sectors are locked in battle to “own” a variety of ecosystems, including personal mobile devices, smart homes, cars and workplaces.
• As adoption grows, the industry will turn its attention toward monetization models. Different companies are likely to pursue different strategies, based on their core lines of business.
• A glut of incompatible voice assistants and devices will frustrate consumers and force more standardization and interconnectivity. This may ultimately help the technologies reach their full potential.