Amazon’s Alexa Custom Assistant will allow companies to create custom voice assistants

Amazon has announced a new initiative that will allow automakers and other manufacturers to create custom voice assistants. The program — Alexa Custom Assistant — is built directly on Alexa technology, and will give companies the tools and flexibility to create their own unique wake word, voice skills, and capabilities.

According to Amazon, the program will allow these custom voice assistants to coexist alongside Alexa. This will give companies the opportunity to present a unique experience while Alexa provides the foundation to perform familiar actions, routines, and more.

Amazon said by providing Alexa Custom Assistant, it will help reduce the cost and complexity of building intelligent assistants into automobiles, consumer electronics, mobile applications, and other digital experiences.

“By reducing the burden of building the core capabilities of an intelligent assistant, companies can focus their time and resources on creating unique capabilities that delight their customers,” Amazon said in a press release.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) will be among the first companies to use Alexa Custom Assistant, with plans to introduce an FCA-branded intelligent assistant for integration in select vehicles.

When companies create their own custom wake words, they’ll use the same state-of-the-art process used for developing new Alexa wake words. Meanwhile, these custom voice assistants can feature unique voices, too, with the help of “voice science experts” from Amazon.

Amazon imagines custom skills being used to increase the incline on a treadmill or change the channel on a set top box. Alexa is already built into a variety of devices, including microwaves and clocks. With Alexa Custom Assistant, the possibilities are virtually endless.

Once these custom systems start popping up, Amazon said they’ll have access to tens of thousands of Alexa skills and integrations, from shopping to entertainment to smart home. Amazon said it will manage the data and apply the same “rigorous privacy and security policies” that are in place for Alexa.

The Alexa Custom Assistant is available today anywhere Alexa is supported, including the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Japan, and more.

The post Amazon’s Alexa Custom Assistant will allow companies to create custom voice assistants appeared first on xda-developers.

from xda-developers https://ift.tt/2KoTe8o
via IFTTT