Spoken language communication with machines: The long and winding road from research to business

Abstract

This paper traces the history of spoken language communication with computers, from the first attempts in the 1950s, through the establishment of the theoretical foundations in the 1980s, to the incremental improvement phase of the 1990s and 2000s. Then a perspective is given on the current conversational technology market and industry, with an analysis of its business value and commercial models. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.