Amazon Alexa news, features updates: Devices can now recognize individual voices

Alexa can now recognize individual voices in Amazon's smart speakers like the Echo. Facebook/ AmazonEcho

Alexa, the intelligent personal assistant developed by manufacturer Amazon, will now be able to tell different voices apart from a sea of sounds.

According to TechCunch, in the coming roll out, Amazon devices with the Alexa technology will be able to detect individual voices of people. This means that for example, people in a family household will enjoy individualized experiences with their Amazon devices. Alexa will be able to recognize the particular voice and associate it with his or her personalized shopping list, music selections, podcasts, audiobooks, and the like. Alexa will also be able to determine his or her specific to-do lists, alarm settings, and other personal requirements.

It has been a long time coming for Amazon to come up with this useful feature. It had an earlier head start than Google to possibly come out first with voice-recognition devices. However, the internet giant reached the finish line first when it announced the functionality back in April, which made Google products more enticing to buyers everywhere.

Nevertheless, Amazon looks well on its way to catch up with Google as it will start to roll out customized voice detection in the coming days. This feature will be compatible with Flash Briefings, Amazon Music's family plan, shopping, and Alexa-to-Alexa calling. The last one will be particularly useful if, for example, someone outside calls with an Alexa account, he will be recognized immediately and his name will be added to the incoming calls.

In related news, Amazon's Alexa is doing well across the manufacturer's devices because the voice assistant, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), runs on 68 percent of the smart speakers sold as of this year. This is according to data from Strategy Analytics.

On the other hand, Google Assistant has only managed to run on 20 percent of smart speakers sold this year.

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