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Nuance Aims iPhone Siri-Type Speech At TVs, Cars

Nuance Aims iPhone Siri-Type Speech At TVs, Cars

When your children talk back to you, that’s not such a good thing.

But when it’s your TV or cellphone doing the talking, or a voice coming from your car’s dashboard, it might make your life much easier.

If Nuance Communications (NUAN) Chief Executive Paul Ricci is right, speech recognition technology will be much more common in consumer products within a few years.

A voice command system built into Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 4S put speech recognition technology on the radar of many investors in 2011.

A voice command system built into Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 4S put speech recognition technology on the radar of many investors in 2011.

Apple’s Siri technology uses artificial intelligence and, it’s widely assumed, Nuance’s speech software. Nuance has stayed mum on its dealings with Apple.

Acquisitions and alliances have propelled Nuance into the biggest provider of voice recognition products. It has amassed a patent portfolio that could be key if speech technology spreads into more markets.

Ricci says much improved voice recognition technology is on the way soon, though he says it’s too early to throw away those computer keyboards and TV remotes.

In an interview with IBD, Ricci talks about the potential of speech recognition in living rooms, cars, health care and social media applications.

IBD: How long until voice commands or voice recognition technology become ubiquitous in smart phones, TVs and other products?

Ricci: Over three to five years, it’s going to be an integral part of human computer interactions.

IBD: The iPhone 4S combines Siri’s artificial intelligence with speech recognition capabilities. What are some other ways voice technology is improving?

Ricci: We’ve begun to see a confluence of technologies that include voice recognition, semantic processing and knowledge management systems coming together in a way that makes for a very constructive interaction. Those systems are still early, but they’re progressing rapidly. Over the next two to three years we’re going to see a rapid maturation of those systems. That is going to enable the kind of interaction that people have been dreaming about for decades.

The first problem is to understand the actual words that are being spoken. The second problem is to interpret the meaning of those words in a sentence. If you’ve done that, then you have to try and discern what is the intent of what the individual is asking or directing, what’s the outcome they’re seeking. That’s really the bridge that these systems are going across today, moving from basic recognition to deeper natural language understanding. To fulfill on the promise of this (computer) interface, you need to do those things.

We’re beginning to see it in some systems like Siri and (Nuance’s) Dragon Go. It’s going to become a common interface. We’re working with automotive manufacturers who are designing those kind of systems into cars coming out over the next couple of years. We’re applying the same technology to health care for interacting with doctors and in consumer electronics in the living room (TVs).

IBD: Will voice commands replace keyboards, TV remotes and other devices, or will accuracy and reliability always be an issue?

Ricci: I don’t think the objective is to replace the keyboard. It is to augment it and in some cases supplant it. Clearly, in a highly mobile setting the ability to interact with voice has real advantages.

IBD: Nuance holds many patents and has been aggressive in accumulating voice-related intellectual property through acquisitions.

Ricci: Intellectual property is extremely valuable and an important asset to a company. Our investments reflect our view that it’s a core part of the value we’re creating. There has been an extraordinary amount of activity in the mobile wireless space around patents, and Nuance has been fortunate to acquire a number of patents over the years. We use our (patents) as a way to protect ourselves in a very IP-intensive world.

IBD: The mobile phone industry has been rife with legal battles over patents. Apple vs. Samsung comes to mind. Could IP battles slow the adoption of speech technology in wireless?

Ricci: I don’t see it happening. Nuance’s role in the industry is to try and accelerate the adoption of voice technology. We do that through a broad set of arrangements, including licensing and developer tools. We work with a lot of small companies and a lot of big companies. The speed of innovation now in the voice and natural language sphere is faster than it’s ever been. So I don’t see (IP issues) retarding that innovation at all.

IBD: In the auto industry and other sectors, product cycles are shrinking. Will that help make voice technology more prevalent?

Ricci: That’s exactly right. As more of the value in products becomes electronic and digital, industries like automotive have had to accelerate product cycles. That’s great for us because it gives Nuance an opportunity to collaborate on innovation. The whole user experience of a car as expressed through digital systems has become a much bigger part of what people are buying.

IBD: More consumers are big users of social media. What do you think of the role of social media in shaping opinions over voice recognition technology in smartphones?

Ricci: The role of social media in shaping perceptions and demands about products and services generally is big and growing faster than any other influence. Hence the focus by all kinds of companies, including Nuance, on how to harness that avenue in new ways.

The interesting thing for us is how to adapt our technology to the individual’s and consumers’ use of social media. We’re doing some interesting things, which I can’t really talk about. Voice recognition and language processing is going to be an important part of that social media experience.

IBD: Worries over slowing global growth has sapped business confidence. In sectors that Nuance operates in, are companies throttling back on investments?

Ricci: It’s a mixed story. Health care right now is being energized by federal mandates to achieve a highly digital infrastructure (in patient record-keeping). We are benefiting from that. Voice is just part of our clinical documentation solutions.

Certainly the European economy is challenging. Globally, growth in Asia still seems vibrant. It may be slowing, but from an extremely fast growth rate.

IBD: What government policies could boost business confidence and spur job creation?

Ricci: A combination of short-term stimulus, long-term clarity on reduction of unaffordable liabilities that the U.S. faces, and fundamental investments in modernizing our infrastructure, would go a long ways to improving the climate.

We need to focus on improving the competitiveness of our economy over the next decade.

[Thanks: http://news.investors.com]

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