Makers of smartphone apps and other software now have access to the language processing capabilities of Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, allowing them to take advantage of all that Alexa has learned after years of talking to customers via Amazon's own devices and software.
Amazon is calling its new voice recognition service Lex. In beta testing since last fall, Lex is now available to developers who want to build voice chat features into their products, Reuters reports. It's based on the automatic speech recognition and natural language understanding that already powers everything from the Echo to the Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote, not to mention a growing list of third-party devices.
Chatbots of the sort that Lex will power are in high demand from companies that want more opportunities to put their products and services in front of consumers. Microsoft already has its own chatbot ecosystem for Skype, and Facebook recently added more bot features to its Messenger app, including the ability for companies like Delivery.com to analyze conversations for indications that you might be hungry and have its bot suggest ordering food.
Amazon is already a major player in the cloud computing industry, offering companies pay-as-you go access to storage and processing servers. Lex will follow that same model, with developers paying less than one cent for each voice or text processing request. Amazon envisions several use cases, from an automated customer support agent to a bot that can control connected home devices.
Related
- Amazon Offers Echo's Voice Recognition Tech to DevsAmazon Offers Echo's Voice Recognition Tech to Devs
In addition to making it easier for developers to create chatbots, Lex will also provide Amazon with an easy way to gather more data to train its algorithms.
"The cool thing about having this running as a service in the cloud instead of in your own data center or on your own desktop is that we can make Lex better continuously by the millions of customers that are using it," Amazon CTO Werner Vogels tells Reuters.
The Lex rollout follows Amazon's announcement last week that it will also offer third-party developers the voice recognition hardware and software used in the Echo. The kit includes a 7-mic circular array, beamforming technology, and voice processing software.
HDR10+ uses similar tech to Dolby Vision to make films look like their creators intended.
Amazon is now offering the voice recognition hardware and software from the Echo to third-party device makers in a bid to broaden Alexa's reach.
Dexter lets you build a bot as simple or as complex as you want, and it's super easy to get started.
Waze Rider is expected to launch in several US cities over the next few months.
Relax Amazon Offers 'Lex' Chatbot Platform to Devs stories
Amazon is now offering the voice recognition hardware and software from the Echo to third-party device makers in a bid to broaden Alexa's reach.
Populations are growing older, and one day we'll need helpful robots more than we need vehicles. Toyota is planning for this future now.
NASA astronauts will chat with executives from Amazon and Hollywood about the future of science and entertainment.
Amazon is offering limited-time discounts on several models in its Fire lineup, including the base Fire model for $39.99.
Just get a special barcode from Amazon, bring it into your local CVS or another participating store, show it to the cashier, and add as much cash as you like to your Amazon Balance.
If you've got a powerful PC and a fast Internet connection, Twitch is raising the bar for high quality video streaming.
Will he eventually unseat Bill Gates and take the top spot?
Prime members will soon be able to drive to a pickup location where an employee will load their groceries into their cars.
Not content with electric cars, launching rockets, and trying to travel to Mars, Elon Musk also wants to add AI to our brains.
The store is plagued with technical problems, according to the Wall Street Journal, including sensors that don't recognize purchases unless shoppers move slowly.
We already have Amazon book stores, now we may get stores selling household items and electronics outlets that rival Apple Stores.
Sears had the chance to beat Amazon at its own game. Instead, it closed stores and retrenched.
It might happen in 50 or 100 years, Steve Mnuchin said, but he thinks that in the short term, artificial intelligence is good for America.
Artificial intelligence has invaded public bathrooms in Beijing, where toilet paper dispensers now detect people's faces before giving out more tissue.
Tens of thousands of 'daily essentials' like diapers, dish soap — even merlot — are available for free two-hour delivery by simply asking Alexa to order from Prime Now.
Artificial intelligence will make the electronic devices of tomorrow smarter, but not if their processors—made by companies like ARM—aren't up to the task.
With this new integration, you'll be able to use Alexa wherever you are to access thousands of skills, get answers to your pressing questions, and more — all with your voice.
Google is a relative newcomer to enterprise cloud offerings, and it is using the success of its other products to win over companies that may be considering Amazon or Microsoft.
The Jetson TX2 is the latest all-in-one computing module for processing artificial intelligence in the field instead of the cloud. Companies are using it to improve video conferencing quality and even help thin fields of lettuce.
'I have been proven completely wrong,' the former Google CEO told the crowd at RSA.
Build a robot while learning about electronics and how to code.
A robot ethicist from MIT's Media Lab helps us parse what our treatment of tech says about us.
The Handle robot looks scary, but it doesn't threaten our physical well-being, just our economic future.
Genuine psychopaths are relatively few but one on your team is too many.
Let's be honest, that's a surprise to no one.
Uber could face a huge bill to retain its operator licence in London.
Well it's not Rick and Morty season 3, but it's close!
Do your part by donating your old tech or getting rid of it in an environmentally safe way.
A class-action lawsuit claims Bose secretly collects and records all content played through their Bose wireless headphones, and shares this data with third-parties without consent.
Enjoy some light 4/20 reading on some of the most innovative, outside-the-box tech startups and cannabis companies making noise in the legal weed industry in 2017.
With an IPO looming, streaming music leader Spotify has been inking a number of new deals with record labels to ensure it has the content it needs to keep growi...
Not convinced on social VR? This multi-episode animated short wouldn't exist without it.
It really shouldn't be this easy.
Social media stars sometimes use hashtags like #sp and #partner or say "Thanks [Brand]" to call out Instagram ads. The FTC said these disclosures aren't sufficient.
HDR10+ uses similar tech to Dolby Vision to make films look like their creators intended.
