Forget “mobile-first.” Instead, get on board with “mobile-AI first.” Statistics show that the mobile market is rapidly digesting advancement in AI to produce more contextual and supportive AI-based applications. From voice search to voice assistants and upgrades in personalized suggestions, AI is staking strong roots in mobile development.
You know you need to harness AI, but to what end? Do you need a native AI component or app? Who should be included on the team and will they be able to hit the mark? What are consumers really wanting out of AI and how do you deliver? Feedback shows that the nuts and bolts build-out and strategizing can be a befuddling exploration with what may seem like a stymying number of hurdles in trial and errors.
But the focus is undoubtedly always on the end goal: infusing AI into your strategy to support better experience and increased revenue. To that end, here are key stats every executive needs to know about the state of mobile AI.
Who is Using Mobile AI? “The Voice Revolution”
Almost everyone has used AI on mobile at some point. Deloitte’s recent survey noted that 65% of smartphone owners across 16 established markets have used at least one application developed with machine learning.
First, by using AI in mobile, businesses are moving forward with myriad solutions for better security, processing and end user experience, i.e. with photo, search, and location-based suggestions. However, voice search has become the predominant focus and driver in advancing AI technology. But what should executives really focus on, now, in mobile AI?
- In less than two years, or by 2020, Google has predicted that a third of search will be done via voice search. In another heavily shared survey, that prediction increases to 50% by 2020 (comscore).
- That estimate includes all devices. Only 13% of households owned a smart speaker in 2017 but this is where the bulk of voice search queries occur. Of the 3 billion daily voice searches, a narrow 81 million voice searches happen on mobile, per econsultancy. Smart speakers are marketed specifically for voice, whereas mobile isn’t. As of now, it wouldn’t be a pressing focus for businesses to optimize, but may be a segmentation opportunity down the line.
- Finally, of mobile voice search users, 55% are teens and 44% are adults. (citrustbits.com)
Mobile AI and Consumer Sentiment
- In one survey, a majority of respondents, at 61%, feel that AI makes or will make the world a better place. (adobe.com)
- User demand for better voice assistant experience has been on the rise. Voice assistants are becoming smarter by answering contextual queries, sending messages and performing tasks. Moreover, 67% of users expect to use some kind of messaging app to reach businesses faster (Newvoicemedia.com). Chatbot and voicebot responsiveness, built with AI, is a bridge to an always-on market space.
- The biggest challenge is defining the best terminology and bridging the gap from voice for home to voice AI for mobile and elsewhere. Brands found that the majority of users learned about voice applications through social media and app stores (between 45-50% of users), and ads and email marketing fared as the least likely spaces people were to find out about voice assistant skills. Consumers also were unclear about what Alexa “skills” or Google “apps” were. (VentureBeat).
Again, since the market’s been dominated by home smart devices, most consumers and businesses are unaware of voicebot skills on mobile.
- Additionally, one key insight is that in many respects, consumers may not even realize either that they’re using AI, or how it’s directly helping their experience. (statista.com) That’s true in how big tech is adopting AI for all around better experience, such as Huwei’s dedicated AI smart chip, or in “under the hood” processing. But that insight become more pronounced when viewed within the lens of usage vs awareness. (statista.com)
Many of these statistics highlight awareness gaps where consumers are likely to use an application when exposed to a solution that combines ease, security and usefulness.
Mobile AI: Awareness vs Usage Drives Adoption
Most everyone is aware of predictive text gone-a-fowl. Still, because of the default option in many devices, it’s become one of the most widely adopted forms of AI. Voice assistant usage on mobile is low, but the end-user capability is probably one of the most accessible AI elements on mobile. Moreover, voice bots (chatbots using voice in conversation) are largely designed for smart devices and the home market.
- In Deloitte’s Global Mobile Survey, a scanty 25% of consumers are aware of voice to text, and only 7% use it. Likewise, location-based apps are used even less, at 5%. Though, the majority of voice search results are localized.
- Many of these statistics highlight awareness gaps where consumers are likely to use an application when exposed to a solution that combines ease, security and usefulness. Note that only 11% who were surveyed use translation apps, yet mobile on-board AI for real time translation without internet is expected to be the norm. (Economic Times)
Find out more about voice bots for marketing and the top trends now: Voice Assistants and Marketing Top Trends of 2018
Hiring for Mobile AI Development
- There are 16 million coders. It’s estimated that 50% work on mobile, but there’s no specific term or stats, for that matter, for coders who work specifically as mobile AI developers. Where do executives turn to look for the best hires and best team for injecting AI into products and strategy?
- Experts suggest to start with the goal in mind. What’s the vision and where do you anticipate applying AI? A team that’s executive-led and comprises deep thinkers with data engineers, scientists, intelligence and expert analytics engineers is the best foundation prior to pinpointing an AI developer, advises Google Chief Decision Intelligence Engineer, Cassie Kozyrkov.
Mobile AI Forecast
- Finally, it’s expected that the mobile AI market will grow to $22b by 2024 (ReportBuyer.com). But Alexa skills are a catalyst for mobile AI usage. Since it’s domination on the home market, Amazon can now focus on other markets, ultimately eyeing the same level of adoption as mobile usage, where AI-built apps will be ubiquitous.
- Mobile is “one of the most promising areas of AI.” (ClearBridge) The trend is toward intuitive, highly personalized applications that learn, or use machine learning, as users interact with them.
- With over 2 billion smartphone users worldwide, the mobile AI market is positioned to be the next conquest for enterprise and brands.
Want to know more about how to create a mobile AI solution for your brand? Contact nativeMsg for a platform demo to see how you can personalize, monitor and engage more users with a conversational AI solution.
