An intelligent automated assistant system engages with the user in an integrated, conversational manner using natural language dialog, and invokes external services when appropriate to obtain information or perform various actions. The system can be implemented using any of a number of different platforms, such as the web, email, smartphone, and the like, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the system is based on sets of interrelated domains and tasks, and employs additional functionally powered by external services with which the system can interact.

Intelligent Automated Assistant

An electronic device may capture a voice command from a user. The electronic device may store contextual information about the state of the electronic device when the voice command is received. The electronic device may transmit the voice command and the contextual information to computing equipment such as a desktop computer or a remote server. The computing equipment may perform a speech recognition operation on the voice command and may process the contextual information. The computing equipment may respond to the voice command. The computing equipment may also transmit information to the electronic device that allows the electronic device to respond to the voice command.

Electronic Devices with Voice Command and Contextual Data Processing Capabilities

A method for operating a voice trigger is provided. In some implementations, the method is performed at an electronic device including one or more processors and memory storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors. The method includes receiving a sound input. The sound input may correspond to a spoken word or phrase, or a portion thereof. The method includes determining whether at least a portion of the sound input corresponds to a predetermined type of sound, such as a human voice. The method includes, upon a determination that at least a portion of the sound input corresponds to the predetermined type, determining whether the sound input includes predetermined content, such as a predetermined trigger word or phrase. The method also includes, upon a determination that the sound input includes the predetermined content, initiating a speech-based service, such as a voice-based digital assistant.

Voice trigger for a digital assistant

A device can be configured to receive speech input from a user. The speech input can include a command for accessing a restricted feature of the device. The speech input can be compared to a voiceprint (e.g., text-independent voiceprint) of the user's voice to authenticate the user to the device. Responsive to successful authentication of the user to the device, the user is allowed access to the restricted feature without the user having to perform additional authentication steps or speaking the command again. If the user is not successfully authenticated to the device, additional authentication steps can be request by the device (e.g., request a password).

Device access using voice authentication

Systems and processes are disclosed for controlling television user interactions using a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant can interact with a television set-top box to control content shown on a television. Speech input for the virtual assistant can be received from a device with a microphone. User intent can be determined from the speech input, and the virtual assistant can execute tasks according to the user's intent, including causing playback of media on the television. Virtual assistant interactions can be shown on the television in interfaces that expand or contract to occupy a minimal amount of space while conveying desired information. Multiple devices associated with multiple displays can be used to determine user intent from speech input as well as to convey information to users. In some examples, virtual assistant query suggestions can be provided to the user based on media content shown on a display.

Intelligent automated assistant for tv user interactions

A system for supervised automatic code generation and tuning for natural language interaction applications, comprising a build environment comprising a developer user interface, automated coding tools, automated testing tools, and automated optimization tools, and an analytics framework software module. Text samples are imported into the build environment and automated clustering is performed to assign them to a plurality of input groups, each input group comprising a plurality of semantically related inputs. Language recognition rules are generated by automated coding tools. Automated testing tools carry out automated testing of language recognition rules and generate recommendations for tuning language recognition rules. The analytics framework performs analysis of interaction log files to identify problems in a candidate natural language interaction application. Optimizations to the candidate natural language interaction application are carried out and an optimized natural language interaction application is deployed into production and stored in the solution data repository.

System and methods for semiautomatic generation and tuning of natural language interaction applications

A system for natural language analytics, stored and operating on a network-connected computing device, comprising a natural language application data importer, further comprising a natural language application data importer, a natural language application data augmenter that enriches the data and an analytics component which provides a means of querying structured as well as unstructured data and which also contains a method for providing adaptive natural language analytics.

Sonja Petrovic Lundberg

Papers

System and methods for semiautomatic generation and tuning of natural language interaction applications

Natural language data analytics platform