What Will Health Care Look Like Once Smart Speakers Are Everywhere?

As voice assistants become more prevalent, one industry that appears ripe for disruption is health care. In this piece, the authors explore the specific ways in which voice technologies could support various medical applications, from accessing medical records to streamlining pre-operation checklists and supporting patients’ decision-making. They go on to discuss the research around whether physicians actually want these tools, and the types of features that can make them more or less useful. Finally, they describe some of the major limitations of voice technologies, concluding that while there are serious obstacles to overcome, these tools do have the potential to make a major positive impact in the health care space.