Amazon's Alexa Takes Open-Source Route to Beat Google Into Cars
- Aim is to hasten voice services by simplifying app development
- Toyota-backed group wants to voice-enable all in-car apps
Alexa is Aiming to Enter the Car Market
This article is for subscribers only.
Amazon.com Inc. is embracing open-source software in the race to get its voice-based Alexa digital assistant into cars ahead of Google.
Amazon engineers are working with Nuance Communications Inc. and Voicebox Technologies Corp. to write code that makes in-vehicle apps compatible with several speech-recognition technologies, eliminating the need for developers to make multiple versions. A working group was set up about a month ago and is meeting once a week, with the aim of having the software ready by June.