Angrez turns Desi: Amazon expands Alexa voice service to include Hindi

• Amazon’s Alexa Skills Kits to include Hindi as a language option.
• Addition of a regional language enables Alexa to compete with Google Assistant.
• With smart speaker market in India growing strong, Hindi could further presence in India.

Amazon is now enabling developers to incorporate Hindi-language skills into Alexa.

The Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) will now include Hindi, enabling developers to start building Hindi-language skills for Alexa voice service. This new update to Alexa Skills Kit is targetted to Alexa compete better with Google Assistant which has had Hindi support since 2018.

According to a report in Financial Express Tech, Amazon had asked developers to start working on building Alexa skills in Hindi. Now, the company has officially announced the expansion of Alexa Skills Kit to include Hindi.

Manufacturers developing hardware with Alexa integration can request early access to Alexa voice service developer preview and developers who already have Alexa skills can enable Hindi in the Alexa developer console.

To encourage developers to integrate Hindi in their Alexa skills, Amazon has announced that developers who have their Hindi-language skills certified for publication in India before July 31 will receive exclusive Early Bird Alexa merchandise.

The case for a desi Alexa

Data released by IDC posit that the smart speaker market in India is booming, and Amazon’s Alexa speakers leading that race. The Echo Dot speaker – Amazon’s most affordable speaker in the Alexa line-up, is leading the way with four units out of ten smart speakers being an Echo Dot (second and third gen).

Overall, Amazon’s Alexa speakers account for 59% of the smart speakers sold in India. With Hindi skills being integrated, Alexa speakers should see a further boost in sales.

Another report in Financial Express Tech, states that companies like Dish TV, boAt, Sony and Mybox have agreed to launch Alexa-enabled devices with Hindi integration.

You can find more details about the updated developer tools here.