Everyone wants to control everything with their voice. Voice assistants are hard to build, and they require big investments in engineering. It should surprise no one that Amazon just launched Alexa Custom Assistant: a service that lets automakers and device manufacturers build their own digital assistants using Amazon’s Alexa technology. Fiat Chrysler will be the first automaker to use the service to develop its own digital assistant for select vehicles.
What does this mean for Apple CarPlay? Amazon, Google, and Apple are all working hard to get carmakers to integrate their technologies into in-car infotainment systems. Big tech will do what big tech does. Big auto will do what it does. Who will benefit most from these partnerships?
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it.