Can Alexa, Cortana, Google Assistant and Siri save your life? A mixed-methods analysis of virtual digital assistants and their responses to first aid and basic life support queries

What is it about?

Virtual digital assistants are devices that interact with the user through voice commands and responses. The verbal nature of their audio-interface makes them perfect for directing first aid and basic life support provision. In this study, researchers interviewed the four most common virtual digital assistants from Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft. They found the ability of the devices to recognize and appropriately respond to the medical emergencies to be highly variable; ranging from no response to advice that was congruent with existing first aid guidelines. Furthermore, some devices were able to recognize the acuity of the query and offer to activate the emergency response system (911/999) as well as provide location information for nearby hospitals. This is the first study to assess virtual digital assistants from a first aid and basic life support perspective. The researchers concluded that virtual digital assistants that are in free-standing speakers, vehicles, phones and other technology, have the potential to provide life-saving instructions and activate the emergency response system, but need improvements to the quality of recommendations first.

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