Hundreds of companies have added Amazon's Alexa software to their gadgets and services, solidifying the technology giant's lead over Google and Microsoft in the race to dominate artificial intelligence.
As the technology industry descended on Las Vegas for the world's largest innovation fair, scores of companies prepared to unveil speakers, robots, refrigerators and security systems powered by Alexa software.
Companies including Lenovo, LG and Samsung released products fitted with the intelligent assistant that made its debut in the Echo speaker, a voice-activated device that has already been sold to millions of people.
With AI and voice control billed to be one of the biggest themes in technology this year, powering everything from fitness trackers to vacuum cleaners, Amazon’s initial edge over Microsoft’s Cortana, Google’s Assistant and Apple’s Siri could carry it a long way.
Analysts expect such technology to grow dramatically in 2017, as demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week.
"CES will see the voice-enabling of everything with Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana, and others as a powerful new theme,” said JP Gownder, an analyst at Forrester who specialises in AI and robotics. “Frigidaire’s Alexa skill for its connected air conditioner is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Shawn DuBravac, chief economist of the Consumer Technology Association, said “voice is going to be the glue” that binds the next wave of computing, with Amazon at the front.
“There are about 1,500 different applications that you can do with Amazon Alexa,” he said. “I would not be surprised to see 700 launch over the next four days.
“Look for wide deployment of voice, but also look for progression of voice, how voice is getting better, and how it is being used in nuanced ways.”
Some of the major uses of Alexa announced at CES include a Samsung autonomous hoover that can be activated by voice commands, a new smart fridge from LG that can order groceries and list its contents through Alexa, and a home security system controlled by the artificial intelligence from Somfy.
The race is far from won yet, though, with reports that rival Samsung could introduce its own virtual assistant possibly called Bixby.
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