> It's weird that I manage to do that entire list of things without saying a word aloud.

That's a incredibly broad statement... anything you do can be done in another way which someone could define as luxury. I can churn butter, but I like the luxury to buy it instead, I expect you are the same ;).

If your phone has a mic, it's most likely also listening. Most new phones have the same technology as the smart speakers. And even if it doesn't have the feature, it's can still be compromised to be listening.

By that logic, a TV remote control is "luxury tech".

VUI is just another new interface for devices that provides convenience.

Totally luxury tech. Just like nice phones, wide-screen TVs, and a million other things that people find useful, convenient, and fun.