Every now and then, there is a tectonic shift in how people interact
with technology. Multibillion-dollar fortunes await as the tech giants
define the paradigm of the new era. IBM once ruled the days of mainframe
computers; Microsoft once dominated the desktop computers ecosystem;
and the latest technological disruption happened with the rise of voice
assistants such as Apple’s Siri, which was released initially as an app
for iOS in February 2010 and was later acquired by Apple. Since then,
Siri comes integrated with every iOS device starting with the iPhone 4S
in October 2011.
We have ushered into a new era of voice computing. After Siri, now
Google too has developed its own voice based digital assistant that is
no less than Siri. Digital assistants such as Apple’s Siri and Google
Assistant can play music, podcasts, audiobooks, and the radio; answer
your questions; provide information such as traffic and weather updates;
tell stories; and even control your smart home devices – all of it with
just your voice. It puts artificial intelligence directly in the
control of consumers. But which one’s better – Siri or Google Assistant?
What is Siri?
Siri is a groundbreaking modern-day example of AI in action. Siri is
Apple’s very own voice-controlled digital assistant which has been
around for years. Siri was initially released as a standalone app for
iOS in February 2010 and soon after two months, acquired by Apple. Siri
first appeared on the iPhone 4S in October 2011. Since then it comes
integrated into their family of products as their virtual assistant and
navigator. Since its initial release, Apple has released numerous
upgrades to the virtual assistant. Siri allows the users to search the
Web in addition to looking for and activating a limited array of phone
apps, such as reading and replying to text messages or reading a day’s
schedule. It is designed to meet and exceed duties pertaining to
searching and operation. It uses the phone’s default search engine to
get results.
What is Google Assistant?
Just as Siri is the name of Apple’s voice-controlled personal assistant,
Google Assistant is the Google’s answer to Apple’s Siri. Google
Assistant was first unveiled at the Google I/O developer conference in
May 2016 as part of Google’s messaging app Allo. However, the technology
was gestating as Google Now since 2012. Google Assistant has the same
functions as the others including Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and
Microsoft’s Cortana, but it excels in handling search-based Web queries
because search is Google’s main forte. It uses a natural language user
interface to respond to queries, make recommendations, and perform
actions by delegating requests to a set of services. Some of the
promotional commands include, “Ok Google, Book me a table for 2 at
Quantico for 7:30”, “Ok Google, who invented sushi?” etc.
Difference between Google Assistant and Siri
Assistant
Siri is the Apple’s voice-controlled digital assistant which comes
integrated into their family of products as their virtual assistant and
navigator. Siri first appeared on the iPhone 4S in October 2011. It is a
smart, intelligent personal assistant that offers a faster way to get
things done on all your Apple devices. Google Assistant, on the other
hand, is the Google’s answer to Apple’s Siri. Google Assistant is
Google’s very own AI-powered virtual assistant and an updated version of
the original voice assistant by Google called Google Now.
Technology
Google Assistant uses a natural language user interface to respond to
queries, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating
requests to a set of services. It is closely integrated with Google
Search and uses it to respond to your search based queries. Siri, on the
other hand, uses natural language processing to meet and exceed duties
pertaining to searching and operation, and it uses the phone’s default
search engine to get results.
Strength
Both the virtual assistants can play music, podcasts, audiobooks, and
the radio; answer your questions; provide information such as traffic
and weather updates; tell stories; and even control your smart home
devices; and more. However, Google Assistant excels in handling
search-based Web queries because search is Google’s main forte, and
above all, it is more natural to use. Siri, on the other hand, is the
oldest and one of the most used digital assistants out there. The most
common uses for Siri are web browsing and dictation.
Integration
One of the main factors in deciding which one’s a better personal
assistant is device integration. Google Assistant works with a wide
range of smart speakers and smart home devices, including Google Home,
Google Home Mini, and the Google Home Max. In fact, it works with more
than 5,000 smart home devices from more than a hundred brands. Siri, on
the other hand, is limited to the Apple’s ecosystem and offers a faster
way to get things done on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and
iPod Touch.
Summary of Google Assistant vs. Siri
Just as Siri is the name of Apple’s voice-controlled personal assistant,
Google Assistant is the Google’s answer to Apple’s Siri. Google
Assistant is more natural in responding to queries more correctly
because of its close integration with Google Search which is still
Google’s main forte. Siri, on the other hand, is the oldest and one of
the most used digital assistants out there. Siri is locked to the
Apple’s ecosystem though. Although, both the digital assistants
communicate with you in a more conversational manner, Google is a
treasure trove of data and information, so, some would probably find
Google Assistant’s responses better than Siri’s.