The Voice Interoperability program is built around a shared belief that voice services should work seamlessly alongside one another on a single device, and that voice-enabled products should be designed to support multiple simultaneous wake words.
“We’re in the midst of an amazing technological shift, one in which voice and AI are completely transforming the customer experience,” says Eric Bauswell, CEO of ArkX Labs. “As a voice-focused company, we look forward to working with other industry leaders to make voice accessible on any device.”
Bauswell points to the VII’s four priorities as a compelling reason to join the global group, including:
- Building voice-enabled devices that promote choice and flexibility through multiple, simultaneous wake words;
- Developing voice agents that can work seamlessly with others, while protecting the privacy and security of customers;
- Releasing technologies and solutions that make it easier to integrate multiple voice agents on a single product;
- Accelerating machine learning and conversational AI research to improve the breadth, quality, and interoperability of voice services.
The more than 30 companies supporting the effort, include also Baidu, BMW, Bose, Cerence, ecobee, Harman, Logitech, Microsoft, Salesforce, Sonos, Sound United, Sony Audio Group, Spotify, and Tencent; telecommunications operators Free, Orange, SFR, and Verizon; hardware solutions providers Amlogic, InnoMedia, Intel, MediaTek, NXP Semiconductors, Qualcomm Technologies, SGW Global, and Tonly; and systems integrators like CommScope, DiscVision, Libre, Linkplay, MyBox, Sagemcom, StreamUnlimited, and Sugr.
“Companies participating in the Voice Interoperability Initiative will work with one another to ensure customers have the freedom to interact with multiple voice services on a single device. On products that support multiple voice services, the best way to promote customer choice is through multiple simultaneous wake words or invocation name, allowing customers to access each service simply by saying the name. Customers get to enjoy the unique skill and capabilities of each service, from Alexa and Cortana to Djingo, Einstein, and any number of emerging voice services that best support their particular interaction,” the announcement states.
Eric Bauswell believes the initiative aligns with ArkX’ mission to enable an unmatched voice performance for OEM voice-enabled products. The ArkX Laboratories portfolio includes the EveryWord Ultra Far-field Voice Capture module and development kits. The company’s advanced voice technology enhances speech recognition, while its far-field solutions deliver a superior voice experience to consumers by capturing voice commands from three times (3X) the standard distance, around corners, noisy and reflective environments, and without lowering playback volume. Additionally, ArkX’ EveryWord technology provides the ability to identify and suppress speech from TV or other single-point noise sources. The ArkX voice capture module can be used in several connected applications as a human to machine interface, while EveryWord's technology powers voice-enabled smart products and devices, mitigating risk, reducing development costs, and accelerating time-to-market.
www.arkxlabs.com
Voice Interoperability Initiative
