Its now easier than ever to get Google Assistant to stop talking, but is it making us rude?

Date:
Wed, 26 Jan 2022 10:47:00 +0000

Description:
You can now just say Stop when you want to silence Google Assistant, but is this a good thing?

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Its now even easier to get Google Assistant to stop talking mid-way through a response you can just say Stop without having to utter Hey Google first.

The feature, which Google unveiled in a tweet , is available on smart
speakers and smart displays that feature Google Assistant built in.
Currently, Apples voice assistant, Siri, already offers this function and
will cut off mid-response if it hears stop uttered.

Amazon is lagging behind with this functionality, as it's not something Alexa understands right now. Alexa will continue with its audible responses to a query unless its wake word, which can be Alexa, Amazon, Echo, Computer, or,
if youre in the US, Ziggy, precedes the command to stop.



However, could dispensing with the formalities when talking to our smart assistants encourage bad habits that we carry into our everyday interactions with other people? To put it bluntly, could it make us rude? Hey Google, put
a sock in it

Smart speakers and smart displays have become part of everyday life in the past few years. According to market research firm Statista , 90.7 million Americans own a smart speaker, which equates to around 35% of the population. They can provide information on everything from the weather to recipes, as well as playing your favorite music and letting you control your smart home.

If youre anything like me, though, there are times when you just want your voice assistant to, well, be quiet. For example, before leaving the house I often ask my smart speaker for the temperature, so I can decide what coat if any, I need to wear. While the voice assistant will respond with the current temperature, it will often then go on to provide information about how hot or cold it will be later in the day. But thats not something Im not really bothered about, as if it gets too hot later in the day I can always take my coat off.

Usually, when Im asking my smart speaker this information, Im about to rush out the door, so having the option to cut it off mid-sentence makes sense,
and the fewer words I need to say to do that, the better. After all, those precious few seconds could mean the difference between catching and missing
my train. But, could talking to our smart speakers in this way turn us into a generation thats, quite frankly, more rude?

I was brought up to mind my ps and qs so I always try to say please and thank you whenever Im asking for anything. However, Ive found when it comes to dealing with a smart speaker, being polite is something that Im doing less
and less. I may have started out with phrases such as Please can you give the weather for today but over time its gradually become shortened to simply
Whats the weather?.

So if I start shouting stop at a voice assistant mid-sentence because its offering information I dont need, how long before that filters into my everyday conversation? Will I suddenly shout stop at shop staff trying to
sell me products I dont need rather than simply listening to the patter, before politely declining and walking away?

Will debates become a thing of the past, because one party abruptly
terminates the conversation with one word? Unfortunately, I can certainly see instances where this might happen. So I, for one, will be trying not to use this particular smart speaker function unless its really necessary, and Ill make a conscious effort to continue being polite to everyone including the voice assistant in my home.

Fancy bringing a voice assistant into your home? Then check out the best deals on smart speakers and smart displays available right now. C heck out these great smart home device deals



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/its-now-easier-than-ever-to-get-google-assistan t-to-stop-talking-but-is-it-making-us-rude/


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)