By Any Other Name

Alexa Custom Assistant allows device makers to create customized, application-specific voice assistants.

Nick Bild
3 years agoVoice
(📷: Michael Sheehan)

In a move to expand their voice assistant product line, Amazon announced the release of the Alexa Custom Assistant (ACA) this week. ACA allows device makers to create voice assistants that are customized to their products. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the first ACA customer, is currently developing a custom assistant for use in select vehicle models.

The customization allows for an alternate wake word that coexists with Alexa. The alternate wake word is used to trigger device-specific actions, such as rolling down a car window. Alexa works alongside the new functionality to provide the services voice assistant users are already familiar with like local search, weather, timers, and alarms. ACA-enabled devices will route requests between assistants if need be. For example, if one asked Alexa to lock the car doors, it would understand that the request should be routed to the car’s custom assistant.

It is also possible to give the custom assistant a unique voice, however, in order to do so, one must work with Amazon’s voice scientists to record and develop the voice, so, while not disclosed, this option may carry a hefty price tag.

Wake word and voice changes aside, ACA uses the familiar Alexa Skills Kit to create new capabilities for the assistant.

The full press release is available online. All the talk of “delightful” user experiences makes me wonder why my experiences with voice assistants have only been somewhere between “good enough” and “highly frustrating.”

If your mind goes straight to privacy concerns when you hear about smart speakers, you may be interested in Speaker Snitch.

Nick Bild
R&D, creativity, and building the next big thing you never knew you wanted are my specialties.
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