Alexa, the voice-activated AI from Amazon, now has the ability to follow up the answer to a user question with a relevant skill suggestion. The improvement is designed to be seamless, offering a skill to the user without disrupting the task at hand. This new option brings Amazon closer to its goal of making interacting with Alexa as natural as interacting with another person.
First released in 2014, Amazon Alexa is available on a wide range of devices, including other Amazon products like Echo smart speakers or the Fire TV Cube. However, users can also take advantage of Alexa on other products, such as smart thermostats, security cameras, and smart TVs. Through a wake word, users can ask Alexa to interact with those devices, and while “Alexa” is the standard wake word, there is the option to change it in the Alexa app settings. Skills are third-party extensions that are capable of adding additional features. For example, playing music on Spotify or playing games like 20 Questions.
Amazon has been working on this development since July, when it also started working on Alexa Conversations to aid developers in making Alexa interactions more natural. Amazon then announced “natural turn-taking” in September. This capability allows users to keep talking to Alexa without using the wake word again. Now, Amazon says Alexa is able to guess the user’s latent goal. In other words, Alexa can now infer what else a user might want or need to know based on the question they just ask. In the post explaining the feature, Amazon uses an example of a user asking "how long it takes to steep a tea bag" and how Alexa can then follow the answer with “Would you like me to set a timer?”
What It Means For Alexa Users
The new capability is already available for English-speaking users in the United States although there may be a few glitches, considering how new the feature is. Furthermore, not all the skill suggestions may be particularly useful. If asked when World War II ended, for example, Alexa might prompt the user to play Ultimate History Quiz. While the game is fun, it might not be all that helpful if the user is just trying to do some research.
Still, the latest development promises to deepen the Alexa experience, phasing out the impersonal AI aspects of the device while creating a more conversational interaction. Considering all the ways Alexa can be utilized, personalizing the interactions is a nice touch from Amazon, even if it might not always be on the mark. It also shows the company is seeking to streamline the user experience, making Alexa more helpful and easier to use, while also showcasing the long list of skills and capabilities available on devices that support the voice assistant.
Source: Amazon