World expenses for the purchase of columns with the Virtual Personal Assistant (VPA) function will grow from $ 720 million in 2016 to more than $ 3.5 billion in 2021, predict Gartner analysts.

"The market for wireless speakers with VPA functions, which include Amazon Echo's smart speakers and Google Home, is quickly replenished with new manufacturers, device types and usage scenarios. ", - said the research director of Gartner, Werner Goertz (Werner Goertz). According to the expert, in 2018 there may be some slowdown in growth due to the fact that VPA-opportunities will be introduced in new products - lighting systems, wireless devices and other components of the "smart house".

Starting in 2019, manufacturers will begin shipping the third generation of VPA speakers, which will feature their own artificial intelligence, rather than a cloud-based AI system.

Analysts believe that the technology of machine learning and artificial intelligence will help improve the performance of devices and solve issues related to information security and data confidentiality.

Although VPA dynamics are currently used by consumer devices, in 2019 further growth of the market will be ensured by the corporate segment, for which manufacturers will release specialized models. In Gartner expect that the spread of "smart" columns in the corporate market will begin with the hospitality industry and telemedicine.