Just a Natural Talk? The Rise of Intelligent Personal Assistants and the (Hidden) Legacy of Ubiquitous Computing

Abstract

In this paper we trace the connection between the paradigm of disappearing computers and the design of today’s Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPAs). We show how the concept of natural interaction stems from the emergence of a specific interpretation of the idea of disappearing computers (ubicomp). This interpretation has emerged as a technology centred perspective, losing the link with the complex philosophical principles which inspired the founders of UbiComp. As a result, the dominant understanding of natural interaction reflects this loss of complexity, influencing the way IPAs are currently developed. To better understand the implications of having adopted this paradigm, we carried out a literature review of recent academic studies on the use of IPAs. Using a three-lenses framework helped us identify six major assumptions behind the design of IPAs. The paper ends with a discussion of the emerging design challenges in the field of voice-activated devices and how these relate to the dominant paradigm of natural interaction.