Global intelligent assistant market share 2017 and 2020

As of 2017, Amazon’s Alexa accounted for 62 percent of the intelligent digital assistant market worldwide, with Google Assistant making up another 25 percent. By 2020, it is forecast that Google will be the dominant brand in the industry, increasing its market share to over 40 percent.

What are virtual digital assistants?

Virtual digital assistants (VDAs) are a type of software which use natural language processing and certain features of artificial intelligence to communicate with users and carry out tasks. Integrating with smart speakers, smartphones, and various other devices, VDAs have become an important feature for consumer electronics devices. Popular products in the industry like Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant and Cortana come pre-installed on many devices, and have installed bases in the hundreds of millions. Overall, the VDA market is worth billions of dollars, with continued growth forecast in the coming years.

Relationship with the Internet-of-Things (IoT)

Growing shares of electronic devices are manufactured with internet capability in order to track data for their users and provide greater coordination between devices. Many of these devices take advantage of VDA technology to interpret the needs of users and carry out commands. The number of IoT connected devices is projected to grow in the coming years, meaning that VDAs will become increasingly important fixtures in households around the world.