Source: Amazon
What you need to know
- Bollywood Star Amitabh Bachchan will be lending his voice to Amazon's Alexa voice assistant in India.
- Amitabh Bachchan is among the most popular actors in India and has a universal appeal.
- Consumers in India will be able to access his voice on Alexa-enabled devices next year.
Amazon's Alexa voice assistant will soon get its first celebrity voice in India. The retail giant has announced that it has partnered with Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan to "create a unique celebrity voice experience."
Puneesh Kumar, Country Leader for Alexa, Amazon India. said in a statement:
Mr Bachchan's voice is truly memorable for any Indian who has grown-up with Bollywood. This combination delivers a perfect pitch to further delight and simplify the lives of our customers.
Consumers in India will be able to ask Alexa for help and get responses to their requests in Amitabh Bachchan's voice sometime next year. However, the unique celebrity voice experience will only be available to customers who purchase the Amitabh Bachchan voice experience.
As per Bloomberg, Amazon will be using neural speech technology to make its Alexa voice assistant sound like Bachchan, without requiring the actor to record every word in his voice. A similar approach was used by Google when it roped in musician John Legend to lend his voice for a celebrity voice cameo for the Google Assistant. Amazon will be using the actor's voice to provide weather updates, motivational quotes, advice, and more.
Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen)
The Echo Dot (3rd Gen) is one of Amazon's most popular smart speakers, thanks to its compact size. While it doesn't offer room-filling sound like the more expensive Echo smart speakers, it does give you full Alexa functionality.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife review: Playing Clue in the afterlife
Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife is a horror game that doesn't rely on jump scares or other cheap methods of scaring players. Instead, it creates a horrifying world of mystery and intrigue that'll keep you sweating as you explore every nook and cranny of Barclay Mansion.
8 easy ways to reuse your old Android phone or tablet
Instead of selling or leaving your old gadgets in a drawer, here are some fun ways you can reuse your old phone or tablet. From setting up a security camera to using your phone as a universal remote, there's no shortage of use cases for your ageing devices.
What's the deal with Apple's new Podcast Subscriptions?
Apple's Podcast Subscriptions is trying to combine the crowdfunding of Patreon with the creation tools of Spotify and Anchor. Will it be successful, and how does it compare to other podcast monetization strategies?
Get connected with these Alexa compatible security cameras
Home security cameras are growing in popularity because they're functional and adding Alexa is a great way to get even more out of yours. Here are the best Alexa compatible security cameras available right now.