Known simply as Alexa , Amazon ’ s virtual assistant technology is largely based on a Polish speech synthesiser named Ivona , bought by Amazon in 2013 . Here , we look at how the technology has developed over the years .

ANNOUNCING ALEXA In late 2014 , Amazon announced Alexa alongside its new Echo device . Alexa was inspired by the computer voice and conversational system on board the Starship Enterprise in science fiction TV series and movies , beginning with Star Trek : The Original Series and

Star Trek : The Next Generation .

COLLECTING DATA TO PERFECT ALEXA ’ S TECHNOLOGY

Amazon partnered with rental home company Appen in 2013 to collect more data . Amazon filled rooms with Echo devices and temporary contract workers were then paid to walk through the rooms , reading scripted openended questions from tablets . This generated data for Amazon to use and feed back into Alexa to improve its response capabilities .

THE FIRST PITCH First conceptualised in 2011 , Jeff Bezos pitched the first Amazon Echo device , which he wanted to be controlled completely by voice . However , Amazon Executive , Dave Limp , upon seeing the pitch , was doubtful and recalled thinking : “ This is going to be hard . It foretold a magical experience . But it would require a lot of inventions .”

16 April 2022