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AI Voice Texting: Genius or Gimmick?
12 Dec
Summary
- Google's advanced voice typing on Pixel phones offers editing and correction capabilities.
- On-device AI models struggle with intent discernment compared to cloud-based systems.
- Despite AI advancements, voice-to-text punctuation and word recognition remain inconsistent.
Google's advanced voice typing on Pixel devices offers features like editing text with voice commands and automatic punctuation, aiming to simplify communication. Newer Pixel models allow users to correct misspoken words, rearrange phrases, and even customize name spellings via voice. Despite these advancements, the AI's performance can be inconsistent, particularly with on-device processing, which uses smaller local models that struggle compared to cloud-based AI.
The discrepancy between the AI's promise and its execution is evident when the system interprets dictation commands as text to be sent. This unpredictability makes the feature feel unreliable for many users. While Google is reportedly working on improvements, the current state of AI-powered voice-to-text on mobile devices highlights the gap between user expectations and technological reality.
The author notes that consumers often imagine futuristic AI like TARS or HAL 9000, but current mobile AI features often feel like minor enhancements rather than transformative tools. For Google's AI voice typing to succeed, it must seamlessly discern intent from dictation, ensuring a consistently reliable experience rather than a frustrating "crapshoot."
