Voice assistants have redefined how people engage with technology, offering hands-free convenience and intuitive control over a growing range of tasks. Integrated into smartphones, smart speakers and connected home devices, they streamline everyday routines—from setting alarms and managing calendars to controlling lighting and thermostats.
Their influence extends beyond convenience. In healthcare, voice technology supports medication reminders and telehealth access, while AI-powered tutors provide tailored learning experiences in education. Voice assistants promote greater independence for individuals with disabilities by enabling easier interaction with digital services.
Retail is another key area of transformation, with voice commerce simplifying shopping experiences. Continued natural language processing and contextual awareness advances are making these systems more responsive and user-friendly.
Despite privacy and system integration challenges, voice AI is expected to become a central interface across connected environments in both personal and professional spheres by 2025.
This week, Mobile Magazine delves into the top 10 voice assistants.
10 | Kakao Mini
- Launched: 2017
- Developer: Kakao Corporation
- Developer: Amazon
- Latest Annual Revenue (2024): +US$5.42bn
- Chief Technology Officer: Park Hyun
- Total Number of Employees (as of Dec 31, 2023): 17,100
Kakao Mini is a voice assistant developed by Kakao Corp., South Korea's leading internet platform. Deeply integrated with Kakao's widely used messaging app and other services like Kakao Taxi and Kakao Pay, Kakao Mini focuses on providing convenient access to Kakao's extensive local ecosystem through voice commands.
It allows users to send messages, make calls, order taxis, make payments and access information within the Kakao environment, making it a central voice interface for many daily tasks in South Korea.
9 | Naver Clova
- Launched: 2017
- Developer: Naver Corporation
- Latest Annual Revenue (2024): US$6.9bn
- Chief Technology Officer: Kim Ui-beom
- Total Number of Employees (2024): +4,390
Naver's Clova is a voice assistant developed by the South Korean internet giant Naver Corporation. Integrated into Naver's services and various smart devices, Clova offers features such as information retrieval through Naver's search engine, music streaming via Naver Music, smart home control and calendar management.
Clova emphasises emotional interaction through features like "Clova Friends," aiming to provide more personalised and engaging conversational experiences for users in South Korea.
8 | Xiaomi Xiaoai
- Launched: 2017
- Developer: Xiaomi
- Latest Annual Revenue (2024): Information not readily available.
- President of Xiaomi's Technical Committee: Cui Baoqiu
- Total Number of Employees (2024): 43,600
Xiaomi's Xiaoai is a voice assistant deeply integrated into its extensive range of smart devices. It is popular in China and other markets, and offers features like smart home control for Xiaomi's IoT ecosystem, music playback, information retrieval and calendar management.
It is tailored to the Chinese language and cultural context, providing seamless interaction with Xiaomi's smartphones, smart speakers and other connected devices. Xiaomi continues to enhance Xiaoai's intelligence and expand its integration across its diverse product portfolio.
7 | Alibaba AliGenie
- Launched: 2017
- Developer: Alibaba Group
- Latest Annual Revenue (Fiscal Year Ended March 2024): +US$132.3bn
- Chief Technology Officer: Cheng Li
- Total Number of Employees (as of 2024): 204,800
Alibaba's AliGenie is the voice assistant powering its Tmall Genie smart speakers and other devices within the Alibaba ecosystem. Primarily focused on the Chinese market, AliGenie offers features such as voice shopping on Tmall, smart home control, music streaming and information retrieval.
Its deep integration with Alibaba's e-commerce platform provides a unique advantage for voice-based shopping and related services within China's massive consumer market. Alibaba continues expanding AliGenie's capabilities and presence in smart home devices.
6 | Baidu DuerOS
- Launched: 2017
- Developer: Baidu Inc.
- Latest Annual Revenue (Fiscal Year Ended Dec 31, 2024): US$18.2bn
- Chief Technology Officer: Wang Haifeng
- Total Number of Employees (as of Dec 31, 2024): 35,900
Baidu's DuerOS is a voice assistant primarily focused on the Chinese market. It is integrated into a wide range of smart devices, including speakers, TVs and automotive systems. Leveraging its strong AI and search capabilities, DuerOS offers features like information retrieval, music playback, smart home control and integration with local services.
Baidu continues to invest in enhancing DuerOS's natural language processing and expanding its ecosystem of compatible devices and applications within China.
5 | Samsung Bixby
- Launched: 2017
- Developer: Samsung Electronics
- Latest Annual Revenue (2024): US$206bn
- Chief Technology Officer: Eui-Suk Chung
- Total Number of Employees (2024): 260,000
Samsung's Bixby is specifically tailored for Samsung devices, offering deep integration with the phone's hardware and native applications. It allows users to control device settings, launch apps and perform tasks using voice commands.
Unique features include "Bixby Vision" for image recognition and information retrieval and "Bixby Routines" for automating tasks based on user activity and location.
Samsung continues to enhance Bixby's capabilities, focusing on improved natural language understanding and seamless interaction within the Samsung ecosystem of phones, tablets and smart home appliances.
4 | Microsoft Cortana
- Launched: 2014
- Developer: Microsoft
- Latest Annual Revenue (Fiscal Year Ended 2024): US$262bn
- Chief Technology Officer: Kevin Scott
- Total Number of Employees: 228,000
While Microsoft's focus has shifted towards enterprise productivity with Microsoft Copilot, Cortana was initially designed as a personal digital assistant integrated into Windows and other Microsoft services. It aimed to provide proactive assistance, manage tasks, set reminders and offer information based on user data.
While its direct consumer presence has diminished, the underlying AI and NLP technologies developed for Cortana are now being leveraged to enhance Microsoft's enterprise offerings, focusing on intelligent assistance within work environments and applications.
3 | Google Assistant
- Launched: 2016
- Developer: Alphabet
- Latest Annual Revenue (2024): US$350bn
- Chief Technologist: Prabhakar Raghavan
- Total Number of Employees (as of 2024): 183,300
Google Assistant leverages Google's vast knowledge graph and AI capabilities to provide comprehensive and contextually aware assistance. Integrated into Android devices, smart speakers (Google Nest) and various other platforms, it excels at answering complex questions, providing real-time information, managing schedules, controlling smart home devices and offering personalised recommendations.
Features like "Continued Conversation" and understanding multiple commands in a single utterance enhance its natural interaction. Google's ongoing investment in AI and machine learning ensures that the Assistant continues to evolve with improved understanding and proactive capabilities.
2 | Apple Siri
- Launched: 2011
- Developer: Apple
- Latest Annual Revenue (Fiscal Year Ended Sep 28, 2024): $391 billion
- Senior Vice President of Software Engineering: Craig Federighi
- Total Number of Employees (as of 2024): 164,000
Siri, Apple's intelligent virtual assistant, is a core feature across its extensive range of devices, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Known for its tight integration with the Apple ecosystem, Siri offers hands-free control, allowing users to make calls, send messages, set alarms, get directions, play music and access information.
Apple emphasises user privacy by processing many Siri requests on-device.
Continuous improvements focus on natural language understanding, contextual awareness and seamless interaction with Apple's native apps and services, making it a convenient and integrated assistant for Apple users.
1 | Amazon Alexa
- Launch: 2014
- Developer: Amazon
- Latest Annual Revenue (Fiscal Year Ended Dec 31, 2024): US$638bn
- Chief Technology Officer: Werner Vogels
- Total Number of Employees (as of Dec 31, 2024): 1,556,000
Amazon's Alexa, deeply integrated into its vast ecosystem of devices and services, has become a ubiquitous presence in homes worldwide.
Launched alongside the Echo smart speaker, Alexa boasts an extensive skills library. It enables users to control smart home devices, play music, get news and weather updates, set reminders, and much more through voice commands.
Its seamless connection with Amazon's e-commerce platform allows for voice shopping and order tracking. Alexa's continuous development focuses on enhanced natural language understanding, proactive assistance, and expanding its interoperability with third-party applications and devices, solidifying its position as a leading voice assistant.
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