Why do voice assistants like Siri and Alexa qualify as answer engines?

Voice assistants like Siri and Alexa are considered answer engines because their primary function is to directly provide a single, concise answer to a user's query, often spoken aloud. Unlike traditional search engines that present a list of links for the user to sift through, answer engines aim to deliver the most relevant information immediately. While advanced voice recognition is a core technology they use, it's the delivery of a direct answer that defines them as answer engines, not the recognition itself. Adapting responses based on previous interactions is a feature of AI, but not the defining characteristic of an answer engine. Storing answers in local databases is an implementation detail, not the functional definition.