An AI virtual assistant is a type of conversational AI that uses
natural language processing (NLP) and generative AI to automate
responses to user inputs. It is designed to assist people or
automate tasks by understanding human speech and deducing
meaning, irrespective of how the instruction has been provided. AI
virtual assistants are built on a robust AI technology foundation
that allows them to fulfill human requests with ease. Some of the
components include:
- Automatic Speech Recognition: This software converts
human audio into a text transcription that is understandable by
the AI virtual assistant. - Natural Language Understanding: These capabilities allow
the virtual assistant to understand commands and deduce
meaning, irrespective of how the instruction has been provided - Dialog Manager: Keep track of the context and the conversation and provide a suitable
AI virtual assistants have come a long way; today, they have opened up several possibilities within the enterprise landscape. They can assist in daily activities such as scheduling meetings, organizing work, following up with peers, and automating mundane everyday tasks. They can also enable employees to move away from repetitive tasks and focus on more interesting, strategic, and impactful tasks.
AI virtual assistants are different from chatbots in several ways. Chatbots are automated AI programs used to interact with humans, while AI virtual assistants are digital AI agents that assist humans in performing day-to-day tasks.
Chatbots can be programmed only for a handful of repetitive tasks, while AI virtual assistants can be programmed for a wide range of different tasks. Chatbots are typically text-based, while AI virtual assistants are speech-based. Chatbots lack understanding of human emotions, while AI virtual assistants can understand human emotions as well as the intent behind user command. Chatbots cannot remember the context of conversations, while AI virtual assistants can have dynamic, enriched conversations with humans.
AI virtual assistants have several benefits such as reducing costs, increasing productivity and operational efficiency through automation, delivering better customer experience, achieving higher customer engagement and satisfaction, and providing a more personalized and engaging experience by remembering customer preferences and helping customers 24/7 when no human agents are around.