Next-gen BMW voice assistant to be built on Amazon Alexa

The BMW Group said that the next-generation voice assistant that will be found in its offerings in the future is set to be based on Amazon’s Alexa technology.

The announcement was made by BMW Group Senior Vice-President Connected Company and Development Technical Operations Stephan Durach as well as Amazon Senior Vice President of Devices and Services Dave Limp.

Durach expressed pride over the upcoming feature, saying that it will “bring the digital experience to an entirely new level.”

“The Alexa technology will enable an even more natural dialogue between driver and vehicle, so drivers can stay focused on the road,” he said.

Limp, for his part, said, “This cooperation with BMW is a great example of what Alexa Custom Assistant was designed for — to make it faster and easier for companies to develop custom intelligent assistants for virtually any device, without the cost and complexity of building from the ground up.”

The first BMW voice assistant (called the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant) was introduced in 2018 and has become an important part of the BMW iDrive since then. According to BMW, the new voice assistant will work in cooperation with Alexa, providing customers the benefits of an intelligent assistant by being a vehicle and services expert.

On the other hand, Alexa will give the well-known experience that many customers are already using, such as the ability to control music, remotely manage their smart home, add items to a shopping list, or check the weather for the day.

“Customers can still choose to use either the BMW voice assistant and Alexa individually, or have both assistants work alongside each other,” BMW noted.

Further, the automaker said that the first vehicles that are to be fitted with the new-generation BMW voice assistant will be launched within the next two years.

Moreover, BMW Group assured that customer data is protected. “The BMW Group and Amazon share a strong commitment to maintaining customers’ trust and protecting their privacy, including giving them control over their data,” the company said in a statement.

Photos from BMW Group, Amazon

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