Is a voice assistant the same as dictation?

No. Dictation types what you say. A voice assistant does the task you describe.

Does it work on an Intel Mac?

Not yet. Parviz runs on Apple silicon Macs only.

What is a voice assistant for Mac, and what can it do for you?

By Time Hackers Lab · Published 2026-10-16

A voice assistant for Mac is a program you speak to that then does the task on your computer, instead of only typing your words. A good one finds files, edits documents, answers out loud and keeps track of what it is doing. Parviz is one, built for Apple silicon Macs.

How is it different from Siri or dictation?

Siri answers short questions and runs a few built-in actions. Dictation turns speech into typed text. A voice assistant like Parviz takes a whole job, "find the March invoice and total it", does it, and tells you the result.

What can it do?

It can work with the files on your computer, edit documents, look things up, run long tasks in the background and keep a board of everything you asked. It can also show you where something is on your screen with a green arrow.

It asks before it deletes, sends, publishes, spends or changes settings.

What does it need?

A Mac with an Apple chip (M1 or newer) running macOS 15 or newer, an internet connection and an AI subscription of your own. It speaks English, and Parviz is in beta, so expect rough edges.

Questions people ask

Is a voice assistant the same as dictation?: No. Dictation types what you say. A voice assistant does the task you describe.
Does it work on an Intel Mac?: Not yet. Parviz runs on Apple silicon Macs only.

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