The Sound of the Future

The Coming Age of Voice Technology

By: Tobias Dengel, Karl Weber - contributor

Narrated by: Graham Winton

Why voice technology is the next big thing in technology, as big as mobile a decade ago and the internet in the late 90s, fundamentally altering the way companies do business.

Voice is the next technology—remarkably similar in potential impact to the internet and mobile computing—poised to change the way the world works. Tobias Dengel is in the vanguard of this breakthrough, understanding the deep, wide-ranging implications voice will have for every industry. In The Sound of the Future, he connects the dots about this emerging paradigm to vividly illustrate how business leaders can stay ahead of the game, rather than scrambling to catch up, as voice technology gradually reveals its power, creating a host of new winners and losers.

Using fascinating, colorful stories, Dengel explains how the “voice-first” experience is becoming part of the global technology mainstream, exploring the ways voice will do a better job of serving basic human needs such as safety, speed, accuracy, convenience, and fun, as well as making it possible for hundreds of millions of people around the planet to participate more fully and productively in today’s high-tech world by making interactions with technology virtually effortless.

A pervasive technology like the internet and mobile, voice, with applications in marketing, sales, service, manufacturing, and logistics, will change the way we work at every level and every function, driving down costs, boosting productivity, and enabling the creation of entirely new business models.

This is not simply about Siri and Alexa. They are the tantalizing but incomplete precursors of the ultimate interface that will make technology easier, faster, more accurate, and more human.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Tobias Dengel and Karl Weber (P)2023 PublicAffairs

Critic reviews

“The author does a good job of explaining where [voice technology] is going…From a solid base of experience, Dengel charts the way forward for the next technological shift.”—Kirkus

Great intro to the future of voice

Engaging read on the future of voice tech and how it will revolutionize how we interact with computers. Would highly recommend to both technical people as well as lay audiences interested in what will likely be a true disruption in the way we work and use digital technology.

Voice Meets AI: Revolutionizing Industries and Shaping Tomorrow’s Experience

This book is a captivating exploration into the possibilities of combining voice and Artificial Intelligence resources. The author brings a large amount of examples where companies of all industries exploit the unlimited possibilities that have arisen optimizing operational costs and improving customer experience.

A must-read for anyone intrigued by the intersection of voice, technology, and the human experience. What not too long ago sounded so far in the future, is now at our reach.

Actionable Insights for the Future of Voice

The Sound of the Future takes a pragmatic view of how voice technology may evolve human-computer interaction.

Tobias leans heavily on real-world applications that provide use cases for which voice may augment or altogether alter user experiences. The emphasis on multi-modal experiences is what sets his perspective apart from many others in the field. For example, the consideration that reading is more efficient than listening or haptic feedback is more empathic than verbal feedback demonstrates a nuanced view of how voice technology may be integrated into digital applications.

Tobias makes bold forecasts about how, where, and when voice technology may disrupt even whole business models. However, he offers guidance for leaders to navigate such disruptions that are rooted in the empirical learnings of his company, WillowTree. This nets a realistic assessment of what is required to realize the returns of voice technology, as well as quantitative measures of what those returns might be.

Innovators across disciplines, from engineering to sales & marketing, and throughout organizations, from individual contributors to C Suite decision makers, will find The Sound of the Future both inspiring and motivating; combining what might be with how it might become.

It is a timely work amidst the advent of generative AI and its implications for voice technology. It provides a much-needed signal in a world full of noise about how organizations may leverage these technologies to drive key business outcomes.

Insightful with realistic examples of the impact of voice and AI technology

Compelling depiction of how AI impacts our lives and how businesses can utilise this technology to improve the customer experience. After reading this book I find that I notice so many situations where voice combined with AI would make life easier; maybe hands are full but I need to order dinner, quickly take care of administrative tasks, or search for new jackets for the kids.

The ability to use voice technology and immediately read or see the results will impact many areas of our lives. For those looking to understand more about how this technology can be integrated within their own companies or even how it will affect their personal lives, this book is an excellent resource.

Fascinating and prescient

For business leaders and anyone else wondering where technology is headed, this book lays it out for you.

Voice as a pathway to accessibility and more

This review is being written by a person who turned off Siri the first time she spoke and who has resisted the introduction of most forms of voice technology in the home. I was not purpose made to be a fan of this book. And yet, I consumed the content in just a couple sittings. You may be wondering what grabbed my attention. Well, I am the daughter, wife, and mother of people with vision impairment, compromised memory, and ADHD. Among other topics covered in the book, there is robust consideration of the myriad ways that voice is and will aid accessibility. I found the treatment of this subject thorough, thoughtful, and dare I say…persuasive. We are exploring some of the resources described, because I am now convinced that voice is the future. This book is worth the read.

AI + Voice solves a real problem

Well crafted overview of Voice and why it is a game changer for the future of tech interactions. I really loved the insights as to multi-modal experience of reading responses while getting to speak the request. It makes such logical sense. The book is up to date as of summer 2023 with the latest ways AI is going to enable the tech.

For anyone considering how to incorporate voice and voice design into their digital products, this is well worth the listen.

Great in-depth review for voice tech, but it refers to images (a pdf?)

Highly detailed, great use cases and examples.
With the speed of development, some examples or references are outdated already.