Technology
Developers can now build Hindi skills for Alexa in India
New Delhi, July 16
Amazon on Tuesday announced that developers can now start building Alexa skills for customers in India with the new Hindi voice model available in Alexa Skills Kit (ASK).
Developers would get a headstart and submit skills for certification as the company prepare to offer engaging experiences for Alexa users in one of the most spoken languages in the country, the company said in a statement.
Commercial hardware manufacturers who want to develop Alexa Built-in products for Hindi-speaking customers in India can request early access to the invite-only Alexa Voice Service (AVS) developer preview.
The Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) is a collection of free, self-service APIs and tools that make it fast and easy for developers to create skills, or capabilities, for Alexa.
Amazon last year launched a new category of skill called "Cleo" that enables customers in India help Alexa learn Hindi and other languages. The idea was to improve Alexa's language model and help her gradually speak in local languages.
Apart from Hindi, users can respond to Alexa's English statements in Tamil, Marathi, Kannada, Bengali, Telugu, Gujarati and other regional languages.
Alexa is currently available in over 80 countries and speaks more than 14 language variants.
One can sign up for the first webinar on Hindi skill building scheduled on July 24. Developers in India who have their Hindi-language skill certified for publication in India before July 31 would receive exclusive early bird Alexa merchandise.
Rohit Prasad, Vice President and Head Scientist for Alexa, told the media recently that the company is working on infusing regional languages capabilities in Alexa for the Indian market but these are early days.
Right now, Alexa can understand some Hinglish commands but these are few and far between.
Developers would get a headstart and submit skills for certification as the company prepare to offer engaging experiences for Alexa users in one of the most spoken languages in the country, the company said in a statement.
Commercial hardware manufacturers who want to develop Alexa Built-in products for Hindi-speaking customers in India can request early access to the invite-only Alexa Voice Service (AVS) developer preview.
The Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) is a collection of free, self-service APIs and tools that make it fast and easy for developers to create skills, or capabilities, for Alexa.
Amazon last year launched a new category of skill called "Cleo" that enables customers in India help Alexa learn Hindi and other languages. The idea was to improve Alexa's language model and help her gradually speak in local languages.
Apart from Hindi, users can respond to Alexa's English statements in Tamil, Marathi, Kannada, Bengali, Telugu, Gujarati and other regional languages.
Alexa is currently available in over 80 countries and speaks more than 14 language variants.
One can sign up for the first webinar on Hindi skill building scheduled on July 24. Developers in India who have their Hindi-language skill certified for publication in India before July 31 would receive exclusive early bird Alexa merchandise.
Rohit Prasad, Vice President and Head Scientist for Alexa, told the media recently that the company is working on infusing regional languages capabilities in Alexa for the Indian market but these are early days.
Right now, Alexa can understand some Hinglish commands but these are few and far between.

13 minutes ago
BAPS Sanstha welcomes decision on closure of investigation, creation of Swaminarayan Akshardham

14 minutes ago
Trump again claims credit for India-Pakistan cesssation of hostilities

16 minutes ago
US Justice Department urges SC to allow firing of Federal Governor Lisa Cook

17 minutes ago
IMF proposes US Treasury official as first deputy managing director

18 minutes ago
Family of Telangana techie shot dead by US Police demands justice

19 minutes ago
US return to Bagram faces logistical, diplomatic challenges

20 minutes ago
China Committee Chairman meets Indian Envoy to US, hails India as ‘essential partner’

21 minutes ago
Trump says US 'trying' to retake key Afghan air base

23 minutes ago
India’s smartphone market grows 2 pc in 1H25: Report

24 minutes ago
SoftBank's Vision Fund to lay off 20 pc of its workforce to focus on AI

25 minutes ago
Mission Saksham Anganwadi, Poshan 2.0 to boost nutrition of children & pregnant women: PMO

26 minutes ago
Free medical camps organised nationwide; special focus on women's health in Gandhinagar

27 minutes ago
NHRC seeks report on 'very bad condition' of govt health centre in MP's Jabalpur