People aren't comfortable using virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa in public

Virtual assistants are supposed to be a linchpin of tech's future. Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung, and others have all made big investments in the tech. Many of them are using the idea of a disembodied, information-fetching helper as a selling point for new devices.

But while these assistants are infiltrating more and more gadgets, they still face a few giant hurdles on their way to wider acceptance. One, as this chart from Statista shows, is simple: People just don't want to use them in public.

According to a June survey from Creative Strategies, those who admit to using the likes of Siri and Alexa are much more likely to use them at home (39%) or in the car (51%). When they don't have the comfort of privacy, and when their hands are free, those numbers plummet.

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That said, things been moving toward normalcy - and the more familiar virtual assistants become, the more likely people will use them wherever. If that ever happens, the next step is to hope they'll actually be good.

Business Insider/Jeff Dunn