Draft:Voice-First AI

Voice-first systems support hands-free, eyes-free interaction and are widely used in domains where screen-based access is impractical or unsafe. Scholars have categorized these interfaces as part of a broader shift toward voice-first and multimodal interaction, particularly in public and infrastructural settings.{{cite book |editor1-last=Stephanidis |editor1-first=Constantine |title=HCI International 2022 – Late Breaking Papers |volume=Part II |series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science |publisher=Springer |year=2022 |pages=123–135 |chapter=Designing Voice Interfaces for Public Kiosks |isbn=978-3-031-21571-7}} These include transportation kiosks, clinical workflows, in-vehicle assistants, and assistive technologies for users with disabilities. Key enabling technologies include automatic speech recognition (ASR), natural language understanding (NLU), text-to-speech (TTS), and dialogue management.{{cite book |title=Conversational AI |author=Michael McTear |publisher=Springer |year=2020}}

Multiple researchers and public-sector studies have identified voice-first AI as a distinct modality within human–computer interaction, particularly in environments where screen-based access is limited or impractical. These include public infrastructure, healthcare delivery, and accessibility-focused design.

The rise of voice-first AI began with consumer assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, which normalized speech as a user interface. In recent years, governments and public-sector organizations have implemented voice-based systems to improve service delivery. According to Emerging Europe, Estonia's national AI assistant "Bürokratt" allows citizens to access digital services through spoken dialogue.{{cite news |title=Estonia launches Bürokratt, the 'Siri' of public services |url=https://emerging-europe.com/analysis/estonia-launches-burokratt-the-siri-of-digital-public-services/ |publisher=Emerging Europe |access-date=May 21, 2025}} The role of voice-AI in infrastructure has been cited as critical in discussions about national digital sovereignty.{{cite magazine |title=AI Is Now Essential National Infrastructure |url=https://www.wired.com/story/digital-infrastructure-artificial-intelligence/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=May 21, 2025 |last1=Macon-Cooney |first1=Benedict }}

Voice-first interfaces are also being piloted in fast-food drive-thrus, elder care systems, and public health kiosks. Voice-based kiosks have been explored in public health settings to support multilingual interaction and personalized care.{{cite journal |last1=Patel |first1=Vaishnavi |last2=Jones |first2=Matthew |title=Opportunities and Risks of Voice Assistants in Health Care |journal=npj Digital Medicine |volume=4 |year=2021 |pages=79 |doi=10.1038/s41746-021-00470-6|doi-broken-date=31 May 2025 }} These deployments reflect broader research trends identifying voice-first systems as foundational to multimodal and accessible AI design.

• Public infrastructure: Transit agencies have begun piloting voice-first help points for multilingual support and accessibility. Researchers have proposed that voice-first systems play a unique role in smart infrastructure by enabling inclusive, real-time interaction in spaces like transit stations and public service kiosks.{{cite journal |last1=Al-Nashash |first1=Husam |last2=Samrah |first2=Mohammad |title=Smart Cities and Intelligent Voice Interfaces: Toward Pervasive Access |journal=IEEE Pervasive Computing |volume=20 |issue=3 |year=2021 |pages=45–53 |doi=10.1109/MPRV.2021.3079976|doi-broken-date=31 May 2025 }}

• Healthcare: Voice-first systems support clinicians with hands-free workflows, including dictation, charting, and patient intake. Voice-first AI has also been deployed in clinical environments, where it supports hands-free documentation, task coordination, and patient interaction.

• Accessibility: Users with visual or physical impairments can navigate systems more independently using voice interfaces, which serve as alternatives to screen readers or tactile interfaces.{{cite web |title=Accessible Design for Voice Interfaces |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/news/voice-ui |website=BBC Accessibility |access-date=May 21, 2025}}

• Drive-thru and retail: According to Business Insider, fast-food chains such as White Castle have deployed AI-powered voice agents like "Julia" to take orders in drive-thru lanes, with reported accuracy rates exceeding those of human workers.{{cite news |title=White Castle's Drive-Thru Voice Assistant Is More Accurate Than Humans |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/white-castle-drive-thru-ai-says-more-accurate-than-humans-2024-6 |publisher=Business Insider |access-date=May 21, 2025}}

Voice-first AI systems rely on a technology stack that includes:

• ASR: Transcribes speech into text
• NLU: Extracts meaning and intent from input
• Dialogue management: Coordinates system responses
• TTS: Converts responses into natural-sounding speech
• Audio preprocessing: Improves audio capture via noise suppression, echo cancellation, and beamforming

Designing for voice-first environments requires attention to latency, privacy, error tolerance, and multi-language support. Common challenges include:

• Misrecognition in noisy or accented speech
• Interruptions and turn-taking in conversation
• Data privacy concerns with "always-listening" devices
• Spoofing and voice-based authentication risks{{cite web |title=Seven Challenges of Voice AI |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/11/07/challenges-of-voice-ai/ |website=MIT Technology Review |access-date=May 21, 2025}}

• Conversational AI
• Speech recognition
• Natural language processing
• Voice assistant
• Human–computer interaction