Slightly more than one-fourth of people (27%) own an AI-powered virtual assistant such as an Amazon Echo or Google Home, according to new research from Clutch, the leading B2B ratings and reviews site.

People use virtual assistants for simple tasks and commands, mostly playing music or podcasts (66%), setting alarms or reminders (56%), and receiving updates about news, weather, or sports (48%). These primary uses for virtual assistants indicate that people are comfortable using voice commands to accomplish simple tasks.

People Value Easy Access to Information Through Virtual Assistants

The biggest benefit nearly half of people (44%) experience from owning and using a virtual assistant is easy access to information such as health data, notifications, and updates.

The tasks people use virtual assistants to accomplish influence the benefits and challenges they experience.

Because most people claim virtual assistants are helpful for simple tasks, more than two-thirds (35%) say they do not experience challenges with their virtual assistants. Connectivity is the most common challenge people experience (20%).

As people use virtual assistants and AI-powered devices for more complex tasks, the challenges they encounter will likely become more complex.

Voice Search Will Expand Use of Virtual Assistants and Change Search Marketing

As more people invest in virtual assistants, they will become more comfortable using voice commands to access information.

When people issue voice commands, they expect virtual assistants to understand context.

"The biggest challenge is people would expect this kind of device assistant to understand natural language and the context," said Max Gladysh, co-founder of Botscrew, an AI development company in Lviv, Ukraine.

As a result, companies need to optimize their website content for user intent: Create content that responds directly to the information people search for online. 

Amazon Most Popular Virtual Assistant Brand

Amazon is the most popular brand of virtual assistant, according to Clutch's survey findings.

Two-thirds of people with a virtual assistant own an Amazon Echo (66%), ahead of the 40% of people who own a Google Home.

Google and Apple are catching up with Amazon, though. Google, for example, has its assistant embedded in over a billion devices.

Connecting Virtual Assistants to Other Devices Will Lead to More Complex Uses

Only 6% of people connect their virtual assistants to other connected devices, compared to over three-fourths (77%) who connect their virtual assistants to smartphones.

This trend is shifting, however. The easier it is to connect virtual assistants to other devices, the more people will experiment with advanced uses such as controlling home appliances.

Apple HomeKit, for example, now allows people to connect devices simply by scanning a barcode.

Clutch's survey included 503 people who own a connected device.