IBM’s Watson Assistant lets any company build Alexa-like interfaces


One early integration of Watson Assistant is in a Maserati concept car.

IBM is today launching Watson Assistant, a new service aimed at companies looking to build voice-activated virtual assistants for their own products. Want your hotel’s rooms to remember a guest’s preferences for air-con? Or your car’s dashboard to be controllable via voice interface? IBM’s message to companies is: we can help you build that.

It’s an interesting pitch, especially as voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa are being integrated into new arenas. (See, for example, the Wynn Las Vegas’s decision to install Echoes in every room.) IBM says this shows the popularity of conversational interfaces, and believes companies should chose Watson Assistant over Alexa or Siri for a number of reasons — namely: branding, personalization, and...

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via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2pqhPfj"

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