Don't be "tech basic": Here's how your AI-enabled device understands your voice

Voice-activated home assistants like Alexa and Cortana know details about you that range from your guilty pleasure playlists to your go-to food delivery preferences — even the type of toilet paper you prefer. But how well do you understand these AIs in return?

In the video above, part of Lenovo's "Extreme I.T." series, Lenovo Industrial Designer Ali Ent explains the basic technologies that fuel voice-command assistants. She does so while being subjected to a flesh-and-blood command-activated entity: a ferocious Belgian Malinois named Voodoo. Be sure to watch the full video to get her (impressive, especially under the circumstances) explanation about concepts like analog to digital converters (ADCs) and phonemes. Read more...