Amazon will now allow third-party companies the unprecedented privilege of accessing the core artificial intelligence that underpins its Alexa digital assistant, an innovation on the company’s AI platform.
While Amazon allows companies to develop Alexa skills and allows virtually any consumer electronic device manufacturer to integrate Alexa into a compatible product, the e-commerce giant has not licensed the underlying AI technology for use in other assistant-like products . Amazon is calling the new offering Alexa Custom Assistant and is starting with a focus on the automotive market.
Amazon is doing this to allow not just car manufacturers, but any company in need of a digital voice assistant, more control over the software experience. This will allow companies to create their own wake-up words and personalized voices and resources, according to Amazon, which will “coexist” with Alexa, as it was designed to work today. For the automotive market, this offers Amazon the added benefit of having its software integrated directly into cars.
“Building an intelligent assistant is complex, time-consuming and expensive. In addition, the rate of innovation and change is accelerating and assistants are always improving and getting smarter, requiring substantial ongoing investments, ”explains the company in a blog post. “Alexa Custom Assistant addresses this challenge by allowing companies to take advantage of Alexa’s world-class technology stack to create their own smart assistant without the investment, long development cycles and resources to build it from scratch and maintain over time . ”
Amazon says companies will have access to customized wake words that use “the same next-generation process” used to develop new Alexa wake words. Companies can create their own unique voices for assistants with the help of Amazon’s “voice science experts” who will help manage the recording process and machine learning-based algorithms to build the voice library.
The screens and software experiences inside the car have proven to be a mature market for companies like Amazon, Apple and Google. But only the last two tech giants have their own mobile operating systems that allow plug-in platforms like Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto. Amazon closed some deals with automakers, most recently with Lamborghini and electric vehicle startup Rivian at CES 2021 earlier this week, for direct integrations with Alexa, and Amazon’s Echo Auto platform can be accessed via a mobile app or a dongle that you plug in your car. But they are not as perfect as the competition offered by Apple and Google.
Just as Amazon strategically circumvented its handicap on mobile phones, where Siri and Google Assistant reign supreme, to gain dominance in the smart home, now it is trying to position Alexa better as an integrated solution in environments that may not require a phone, avoiding thus the need to compete directly with Apple and Google.
The first company that has agreed to build its own Alexa-based assistant is automaker Fiat Chrysler (FCA), which has an ongoing relationship with Amazon to integrate part of its technology, such as screens powered by Amazon Fire TV, into its cars. The financial terms of any deal between Amazon and FCA have not been released, and it is not clear whether Amazon is charging automakers to license AI technology instead of distributing it for free.
Regardless, Amazon also says its intentions are to give all companies, not just car manufacturers, a faster, cheaper and less complex way to build their own voice experiences that seem tailor-made, rather than simply seek integration with a third service.
Alexa Custom Assistant also allows custom AI products to stay in control and dictate information about special features, while Alexa can handle requests related to more general applications, such as playing music and instructions. “For example, if a customer asks Alexa to open a car window or how to solve a device problem, the request will be forwarded to the brand’s assistant. If a customer asks the brand’s assistant to play an audiobook, the order will be forwarded to Alexa ”, says the blog.
Amazon says that Alexa Custom Assistant will be available starting today for companies in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Spain.
January 15 update, 8:46 am ET: Added information about Alexa Custom Assistant and how it is available to more than just car manufacturers.