Amazon is pushing to expand Alexa’s footprint with the Alexa Custom Assistant, which will allow OEMs to develop their own voice assistants based on Alexa technology.
Brands that take up Alexa Custom Assistant will be able to build assistants with unique wake words, voices, and capabilities. The custom assistants will also seamlessly integrate with Alexa itself, with requests being routed to either Alexa or the brand assistant where relevant (for example, rolling down windows would be handled by the brand’s assistant in a vehicle, while Alexa would play audio books).
According to Matt Arcaro, Senior Industry Analyst, Digital Automotive and Transportation Strategies, IDC, automotive manufacturers are looking to differentiate themselves as voice assistants become more important to drivers.
“Many manufacturers struggle to balance the investments needed to develop, deliver, and maintain a best-in-class voice experience for their vehicles.
“This has opened the door for popular voice assistant to invest in productizing their technology, capabilities, and reach so that manufacturers can leverage this foundation to build a full-featured, yet customisable voice assistant.
“The Alexa Custom Assistant appears well positioned to meet these needs,” he said.
Alexa Custom Assistant is already available in Australia and New Zealand, as well as all other markets where Aleza-enabled products are sold – the US, Canada, UK, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Japan, India, Mexico, and Brazil. Global auto manufacturer Fiat-Chrysler is the first company to sign on, and is already working on its own branded assistant for select vehicle models.
