Voice Biometrics Month 2016: The Primer

May is Voice Biometrics Month 2016 at FindBiometrics, so for the next four weeks we will be examining the hands-free modality in our featured articles section, culminating with an expert webinar on the topic: Voice Biometrics in a Hyper-Connected World.

In order to get things started, we’ve put together a voice biometrics primer to familiarize you with the current state of voice biometrics.

Markets

The global voice biometrics market is on the rise. Pegged at $249 million in 2015, TechNavio is predicting it will reach $5.1 billion by 2024. Mostly driven by consumer applications, the voice biometrics market in question includes speech recognition and voiceprint identity verification. Other reports have shown that the Internet of Things, and specifically connected cars, are steady growth markets for the tech, as are smartphones sporting speech and voice software.

Steady Growth Predicted for Smartphone Voice Recognition Market: Technavio

Steady Growth Expected for Automotive Voice Recognition: Report

Speech and Voice Recognition Market To Hit $5.1 Billion

On the Line

Voice biometrics have a home in the call center. When we talk about end user friction in the authentication process, nothing quite illustrates the point like having to answer security questions over the phone. You first pet’s name, the last five transactions on one specific credit card—these are inconvenient necessities that have sprung up to mitigate caller fraud. The use of voice biometrics over the phone erases the security question completely, making a call to a bank or service provider as convenient and secure as it ought to be. Some systems passively authenticate users as they speak to agents, and other require the speaking of a simple phrase, but in all cases secure phone calls are being made better with biometrics:

Aurionpro Integrates ValidSoft Voice Authentication Into Solutions Suite

Manulife Implements Nuance Voice and Speech Recognition

TalkTalk Enables Voice Authentication For Its Customers

Verint Leverages Voice Biometrics in Enterprise Packages

ICICI Bank Customers to Enjoy Voice Authentication

Voice Command

The human voice can be used for more than just identification and authentication, it is also being looked to more and more as an interface option. Modern speech recognition tech can be used to control your devices and even dictate text documents. Combine that with voice recognition technology and what you have is a robust hands-free solution. Take a look at the following links to learn more.

TrulyHandsfree 4.0 Uses Deep Learning to Filter Noise

DSP Group Announces New Voice and Audio Processor

Samsung Galaxy S7 Devices Feature TrulyHandsfree Tech

Philips SpeechLive Offers Almost Immediate Dictation Transcription

Speech Recognition Plays a Role in Google’s Accessibility Initiative

Google Researchers Develop High Speed Offline Speech Recognition

Speech Recognition Is Leaving a Mark on Our Accents

Google Adds Speech Recognition to Docs

IoT and Wearable Tech

As our world becomes increasingly connected to the Internet—which itself is moving beyond simply smartphone and computer connections—device manufacturers are looking for new security and user interface options. Speech recognition and voice authentication fit the bill perfectly, and we are seeing Internet of Things solutions, connected cars, and wearable technologies all starting to integrate both technologies in order to best serve users. With speech recognition, devices no longer have to be in reach or linked directly to your phone in order to be interacted with. And thanks to advances in voice recognition those devices can recognize who’s talking, able to pick out who it is they should listen to.

Qualcomm Demos Smart Home Platform, Voice Biometics

Intel Integrates Sensory’s Voice Activation Tech into SoC Offerings

Samsung ARTIK to Offer Sensory TrulyHandsfree Support

Ford Looks to Leverage Biometrics and Wearables

MWC 2016: Sony’s Xperia Peripherals Feature Speech, Face Biometrics

FinTech

The real hot space in biometrics right now is FinTech, as all the major banks and financial service providers are aiming to integrate strong authentication into their mCommerce and banking app solutions. Voice biometrics is included in this booming market, thanks in part to its easy-to-deploy nature as a software solution. Banking login, voice based e-signature, and mobile payments can easily be authenticated by the sound of your voice, allowing for high security and convenience with a low barrier for entry.

Whitepaper: How Voice Recognition Fits With mCommerce

Worldcore Relies on Voice Biometrics for Payment Authentication

HSBC to Launch Voice, Fingerprint Authentication for Customers

Money20/20: VoiceVault & Enacomm Unveil Voice e-Signature

RBC Introduces Voice Authentication Via Natural Speech

VoiceVault Biometrics to Protect Payments

Varam Capital Embraces SayPay Authentication

App Authentication and Identification

On a broader scale, voice biometrics can be used for secure login and lock screen security on phones and computers. Again, thanks to its basis in software, all a device needs in order to enable voice biometrics is a microphone, which is standard feature on laptops and smartphones. Beyond that, however, we are starting to see voice identification come into play. As virtual AI assistants and hands free interfaces become more common, a demand is rising for software that can distinguish between speakers. The latest version of Siri can now tell who is talking to it, and such technology is expanding beyond the iOS personality.

Siri Now Equipped With Voice Recognition

AGNITIO Cheers On the Password’s Demise

Australian Taxation Office Brings Voice Recognition to Mobile App

SpeechPro Tech to Help CallMiner Platform Sort Out Voices

A Million Users Have Signed Up for USAA App’s Biometrics

TrulySecure Platform Gets FIDO UAF Certification

Reinforcements

Voice biometrics is a natural fit for the multimodal biometrics landscape that is emerging as innovations in technology and accessibility are intersecting with a demand for flexible security. It’s an easy to add factor in situations that require scalable security, often finding itself paired alongside facial recognition to test for liveness and prevent presentation attacks. Take a look at how voice is fitting into multi-factor solutions:

Xura and SpeechPro Team to Develop Multimodal FinTech Solution

SK Announces Voice and Face Multi-Factor

SpeechPro Tech to Boost Facebanx Multimodal Biometrics

Daon Launches Upgraded IdentityX Platform

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Stay posted to FindBiometrics throughout May as we continue to examine the featured topic of voice biometrics. Participate in the conversation by following us on Twitter.