I recently read this article – The Voice UI has Gone Mainstream over at techopinions.com.

Interesting article! Right now, voice search is growing fast. Smartphones certainly do voice search (i.e., Siri, OK Google, etc). And it’s constantly improving. In fact, my daughter has a part time job listening to and evaluating OK Google voice searches (yes, you heard that right. Weird job, huh?).

I know I’ve certainly used voice search. Driving in my car, for example – sometimes I need to find something (like a phone number to a restaurant), and voice search is the best option. I’ll also admit, right now that voice search sometimes works great, and sometimes can leave me really frustrated.

Wifi-connected “voice first” search appliances are also starting to appear, like the Amazon Echo. Google Home is a competitor, and Apple has Apple HomeKit.

The article made me think … our libraries are all about searching. What happens when/if the primary search function of all our stuff switches to voice first search instead of typing? How will our interfaces/services/signage change because of that?

Even more important – what happens to patron confidentiality?

Just some things to ponder!

Amazon Echo pic by Rick Turoczy