Online retail giant Amazon announced it will be sharing its Alexa voice assistant technology with car companies, allowing them to customize it for their respective devices and vehicles.
While some vehicles are already equipped with Alexa, which proves useful for tasks like paying for gas, the new Alexa Custom Assistant technology can allow car manufacturers to create in-car voice assistants similar to the MBUX (Mercedes Benz) and Personal Intelligent Assistance (BMW). Too, it enables these manufacturers to come up with unique wake words for purposes they have in mind.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) didn’t miss a beat and immediately jumped on the opportunity, becoming the first automaker to use the technology for its products.
FCA did not reveal which of its models will be the first to get the Alexa voice assistant feature, but the possibilities for the brand are endless. For one, a voice command to open the sliding doors in the Pacifica minivan sounds interesting.
The company also did not say anything about the launch date for the new feature, but it confirmed that the technology will be part of its Uconnect infotainment system. Two assistants will be installed with FCA’s tech acting as “the product specialist with features and capabilities specific to the vehicle.” Alexa, on the other hand, will be in charge of taking music requests, answering questions, and controlling smart-home features like usual.
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