We pitted digital assistants against each other to find the most useful AI

Smart digital assistants are rapidly becoming integral to countless gadgets, as seen at CES 2018. Every major tech player—Amazon (Alexa), Apple (Siri), Google (Google Assistant), Microsoft (Cortana), and Samsung (Bixby)—is vying for dominance in this burgeoning AI space. These assistants offer a wide range of functionalities, from scheduling appointments to smart home control, but comparing their capabilities can be challenging. To address this, we rigorously tested all five major assistant apps.

Methodology: A comprehensive evaluation of every command is impractical. Our goal was to provide a comparative overview of each assistant's strengths and weaknesses. Alexa was tested via an Amazon Echo (voice-only), while the others were evaluated on Android and iOS phones, allowing for visual feedback.

General Knowledge & Search:

All assistants aced basic queries: weather forecasts, unit conversions, and simple trivia. Alexa stood out with its concise, efficient responses, a necessity for a voice-only interface. However, more complex questions revealed limitations. While Google Assistant and Bixby excelled at retrieving multiple results for queries like "What's that movie with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino?", others struggled. Similarly, a question about NASA's Mars mission highlighted inconsistencies in information retrieval and natural language processing. The results underscore the need for improved natural language understanding and online information filtering for these assistants to truly rival human capabilities.

Organization (Calendars, Contacts, Emails):

All assistants (except Cortana, which lacks Apple Calendar integration) interacted with major calendar apps. Bixby and Siri provided the clearest calendar displays. Basic contact management (calling, texting) functioned similarly across all, with Siri adding a helpful call confirmation step. Address lookups revealed disparities: Siri and Bixby succeeded, while others faltered. Email access varied; Google Assistant, Bixby, and Siri displayed recent emails, while Alexa and Cortana lacked seamless integration with Android/iOS email clients (though Cortana could send emails).

Reminders & Alarms:

Setting alarms and reminders was generally straightforward. However, cancelling alarms showed inconsistencies. Bixby, Google Assistant, and Alexa handled “cancel alarm for tomorrow” effectively, while Siri and Cortana required alternative phrasing or manual intervention. Reminder creation varied; some required additional details (time/location), while others automatically saved the reminder. Location-based reminders were more successful with Cortana and Siri. Deleting all reminders also proved challenging, with some requiring individual confirmations or lacking a bulk delete function.

Entertainment (News, Sports, Music, Movies):

News delivery varied; Alexa provided audio updates, while others displayed headlines (Cortana also offered audio). Sports results showed similar inconsistencies, with some requiring more precise team names. Music playback depended on the assistant and the connected music service. Alexa, Google Assistant, and Cortana worked well with Spotify, but compatibility with other services was limited. Movie access also varied, with Alexa needing Fire TV integration, while others utilized phone-based playback or Chromecast functionality. Cortana lagged behind in video capabilities.

Final Verdict:

Google Assistant emerged as the most impressive, excelling in natural language processing and leveraging Google's extensive search and AI expertise. Its tight integration with Google services is a significant advantage. Siri, while well-integrated with iOS, showed limitations with non-Apple services. Alexa’s strength lies in its extensive third-party skill support, but its lack of a standalone phone app (a temporary limitation) is a drawback. Cortana felt disjointed, lacking the polish of its competitors. Bixby, being the newest, is still developing but offers good Samsung device control.

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