virtual assistant

[vur-choo-uhl uh-sis-tuhnt]

noun

1. a person, as a freelance office assistant, who works remotely in an administrative role.

2. voice assistant.  digital assistant. Digital Technology.,  a device or piece of software that can perform basic tasks and answer some questions in response to spoken natural language, often following a command or prompt.

Word History and Origins

Origin of virtual assistant¹

First recorded in 2000–05 virtual assistant for def. 1, and in 2010–15 virtual assistant for def. 2

Example Sentences

Management noted on the recent earnings call that the company’s Meta AI product, which serves as a virtual assistant across the its social-media platforms, has more than 1 billion active users.

Read more on MarketWatch

Copilot exists as both a consumer app and a virtual assistant within the company’s enterprise tools.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Her first incarnation was as an AI-powered virtual assistant, guiding applicants through the process to obtain official documents.

Read more on BBC

Google shows AI-generated summaries of search results, released an “AI mode” in search and has a virtual assistant called Gemini.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I might be called upon to ship packages or purchase gift cards or serve as a virtual assistant.

Read more on Slate