Personal assistant accessible via a telephone call

Techniques of the present disclosure provide a virtual personal assistant to users via a telephone call. The techniques are especially beneficial for users of feature phones, landline phones, shared phones such as pay phones, etc. A user can dial a telephone number for the virtual personal assistant and is recognized by the number they’re calling from. The user optionally provides a personal identification number (PIN). Once connected, the user can query the personal assistant for information and receive answers. Initially, when the user asks a question, the virtual personal assistant begins the interaction without having user context. With subsequent interactions, the virtual personal assistant learns the context, when user permits. The personal assistant can provide any type of information and interaction, e.g., language learning, music, banking, etc. The personal assistant can also interact with users via short message service (SMS)