How do smart speakers work

The key to the operation of smart speakers is the voice recognition technology that is used.
Using voice recognition, it is possible for the smart speaker to understand what is being said
and act upon it.

Different manufacturers use different voice recognition systems: Apple uses its Siri assistant
voice recognition, Microsoft uses Cortana, Google Home series and Amazon Echo speakers
use their own voice recognition schemes for their smart speakers.

Although each smart speaker system is slightly different, when looking at how they work, it is
possible to generalise slightly to see the basic concepts.Typically the smart speaker listens
to all speech and awaits a “wake word.”

Once the system hears this word it activates, it records what is being said and sends this
over the Internet to main processing area or voice recognition service for the system

he voice recognition service, deciphers the speech and then sends a response back to the
smart speaker.

The voice recognition service uses a series of algorithms so that the system becomes more
familiar with your use of words and individual speech patterns. In this way it learns how you
speak so the system can provide a better service.

In fact, normally when setting up a new smart speaker system it will be necessary to run
through a learning process for the smart speaker.

Data security
One of the issues that many people fear with the use of smart speakers is that of data
security. People could become victims of voice hacking. This involves the recording or
mimicking of a user’s voice and then hijacking their accounts.

It has been noted that many automatic speaker verification systems are not able to detect
whether the speech has been previously recorded, although systems are now being
developed to detect this.

Also there have been some scares about some smart speaker systems responding to speech
from nearby radios the speakers can hear. However it does not appear to be a major issue.

One of the main issues when setting up smart speaker systems is to ensure that the Wi-Fi
network, as well as any items on it, and of course the smart speaker, all have robust
passwords. One of the ways hackers can gain access into systems is through people leaving
default passwords in place, thinking that nobody would be interested in hacking their
system. These system provide easy prey for unscrupulous hackers.
The technology for smart speakers is evolving at a rapid pace. As a result their use can only
increase, and this is likely to happen at a great rate. Also voice recognition will become
embedded into more of everyday life, with newer systems performing the recognition locally.
Smart speaker technology will also extend its area of applications, and enable more areas of
everyday life to be controlled by voice command.

Smart speakers rely on a set of complex

artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
They listen to sound waves and convert
them into words using automatic speech
recognition (ASR). Then, they convert those
words into meanings using Natural
Language Understanding (NLU).
Know when it’s listening
Each time you interact with it, your voice assistant records what you say. It might
also do that when it thinks it’s heard the wake word. If you want to be sure that
sensitive information isn’t picked up by your smart speaker, look for settings to
mute your device so it’s no longer listening. You might also be able to activate
alerts that tell you when your voice assistant is actively listening. Check your
voice assistant’s settings options or the manufacturer’s website to find out how to
do that.

Check the privacy policy

Some voice assistant manufacturers have had employees listen to audio
recordings in certain circumstances – say, to make their products work better.
Some have stopped doing that since the media reported on it. the privacy policy
for your voice assistant to understand how your audio recordings are handled
and who can listen to them. 

Check your settings

Review your default settings. Periodically, look at your history, or even delete old
recordings. You can usually do this by going to the voice assistant app or logging
into your account on the manufacturer’s website. You also may be able to set it
to auto-delete your recordings. 

Lock down your login

Create a strong password for the app or online account that controls your voice
assistant. Make sure it has a least twelve characters, a mix of uppercase and
lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Avoid common words, phrases, or
information in your passwords. And don’t reuse existing passwords from other
accounts. If one of those accounts gets hacked, a hacker could try that same
password to get into your voice assistant.

Know what’s connected to your voice assistant

It might be convenient to enable shopping, or to link your email account so your
voice assistant can read your emails out loud. But do you want everyone who
uses your voice assistant to be able to shop, or get your emails? If not:

 Add a PIN to control whether others (like your kids or visitors) can use
voice commands to buy things.
 Check to see if you can add a passcode for access to your email.
Check your settings options or the manufacturer’s website to find out how to
make these changes on your voice assistant.