Are Voice Assistants About to Finally Get Useful?

The long-overpromised potential of voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant may finally be realized in 2025, thanks to advancements in AI agents. Dubbed the “agentic era” by Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, this new phase of technology aims to transform voice assistants into genuinely useful tools that can complete tasks autonomously — something they’ve struggled to achieve since their inception.

Initially envisioned as personal assistants that could handle day-to-day tasks, voice assistants have historically fallen short, limited to basic functions like setting timers or controlling smart lights. The gap between their promised capabilities and actual utility has led many users to view them as novelties rather than essential tools. However, the rise of generative AI is reshaping that narrative, giving rise to intelligent agents capable of taking real action on users’ behalf.

Unlike traditional voice assistants that provide information in response to queries, these new AI agents are designed to take actions such as booking meetings, managing travel arrangements, or executing online purchases. They aim to function like digital assistants in the truest sense — not just providing answers, but performing tasks seamlessly.

Tech giants are already racing to lead this shift. Google’s Gemini AI model, Amazon’s partnership with Anthropic, and Apple’s integration of ChatGPT into Siri demonstrate that the big players are betting on AI agents to redefine the voice assistant landscape. These advancements are backed by massive investments, such as Amazon’s $8 billion stake in Anthropic, all aimed at building smarter, more proactive assistants.

The potential extends beyond consumer applications. AI agents could transform industries like customer service, software development, and logistics, where task automation could significantly improve efficiency. Startups like LangChain, CrewAI, and Play.ai are entering the fray, competing to offer the most advanced agent platforms.

However, some experts remain skeptical. Kanjun Qiu, founder of Imbue, argues that even with more advanced AI capabilities, trust remains a significant barrier. People are still hesitant to delegate important tasks to AI tools, fearing they might get things wrong. For now, many users reserve voice assistants for trivial tasks, preferring to handle more critical actions themselves.

One area where AI agents show undeniable promise is in voice technology itself. Unlike text-based large language models, voice models are trained on actual speech, allowing them to pick up nuances like tone and emotion. Companies like Play.ai and ElevenLabs are pushing the boundaries in this space, making interactions more human-like and intuitive.

Beyond voice assistants, AI agents are also finding their way into hardware innovations. Google’s Project Astra, for instance, includes prototype smart glasses that integrate AI agents. These glasses can display relevant information in real-time — such as pulling up a door code from your email when you look at a keypad — demonstrating the practical utility of voice-driven AI tools. Similarly, Facebook’s Orion glasses combine voice and gesture control to enhance user interactions.

Voice-based AI tools are also becoming a preferred interface for younger generations, with studies showing that 42% of 18-to-29-year-olds in the U.S. regularly use voice messages in their chat apps. This shift signals that voice interactions may become the default interface for future generations, making AI-driven voice assistants an essential part of digital life.

From Rendr’s perspective, these advancements in voice and AI agents represent a significant shift in how people interact with technology. As an agency that has fully embraced AI over the past year, Rendr has already seen firsthand how intelligent tools can revolutionize software development and e-commerce workflows. Voice agents could further enhance accessibility and productivity, enabling users to achieve more by simply speaking their requests.

Acknowledgments

Inspired by Richard Nieva’s Forbes article posted on 2nd January 2025, “AI agents could finally make Siri and Alexa truly useful”.