The Rise of ‘Smart Assistants’

Rich Barton, co-founder of popular sites such as Expedia, Zillow and Glassdoor, says the deluge of information and options confronting consumers has given rise to a major business opportunity: “smart assistants” that can sift through everything, make recommendations, and even anticipate what we want. Consumers have grown accustomed to immediacy in the digital age, Barton notes.