Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
BMW owners have been able to use Amazon’s Alexa as their in-car voice assistant since 2018. But the automaker announced that it will be taking things a step further, using Amazon’s Alexa core technology to build its own custom voice assistant.
The voice assistant will be built using Amazon’s Alexa Custom Assistant, a service that lets automakers and device manufacturers build their own digital assistants using the company’s Alexa technology.
BMW will be able to create its own wake words and custom voices and capabilities using Alexa as a foundation to “enable an even more natural dialogue between driver and vehicle,” the automaker said. This is especially crucial to help reduce distractions for drivers who may need help adjusting the…