8 Ways Alexa is shaping the next generation of ambient computing experiences

1.   The Alexa Skills Kit

The Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) provides self-service APIs, Skill Components, and other tools to help you start building high-quality skills seamlessly. From interactive game skills to music, audio, and smart homes, ASK lets you leverage built-in interaction models or develop your own custom voice experience.

Thanks in part to the Alexa Skills Kit, there are now more than 130,000 skills published in 17 language variants across 80 countries.

See everything ASK can do by viewing our comprehensive suite of tutorials. 

2.   Alexa Voice Service Device SDK 3.0

The latest version of the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) Device Software Developer Kit (AVS SDK 3.0) brings an all-in-one tool for Alexa Built-in device makers, including those that make devices both with or without a screen.

AVS SDK 3.0, which was announced at Alexa Live 2022, brings numerous new features that were only previously available in Alexa Smart Screen SDK. These include:

• Device visual characteristics publishing
• Alexa Presentation Language (APL)
• Alexa Communications Video Calling
• Smart home cameras
• An SDK-based IPC Server (Smart Screen) Sample Application

3.   Smart Home Alexa Connect Kit

Customers have now connected more than 300 million smart home devices to Alexa. Using the Alexa Connect Kit SDK for Smart Home Devices, it’s never been easier to reach the fast-growing market of global smart home users.

Building on the original Alexa Connect Kit, the Smart Home SDK enables you to build your own Alexa-compatible solutions with greater control over costs and features. It also simplifies the process of building original modules and differentiated Alexa-compatible solutions for Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) and System Integrators (SIs). 

The new SDK makes all of this possible without having to worry about managing cloud services, building an app, or writing a new Alexa skill.

4.   Alexa Presentation Language (APL)

The future of ambient intelligence encompasses a wide range of experiences that extend beyond just voice. That’s why many leading developers utilize the Alexa Presentation Language (APL), a design framework that allows you to create multimodal skills featuring graphics, images, slideshows, and videos.

New APL features announced at Alexa Live 2022 also let you create and customize visuals on pre-built templates, auto-generate skill code snippets for APL documents, and more. 

5.   Alexa Auto

Leading automotive companies around the world use Alexa and APL to meet the heightened demand for connected voice and visuals in cars.

The Alexa Auto Software Development Kit makes developing voice experiences for the auto industry seamless. It includes core Alexa functionality—such as speech recognition and synthesis—as well as streaming media, notifications, weather reports, and tens of thousands of custom skills. That offers yet another way to delight customers while presenting them with convenient, hands-free updates ranging from news to weather and navigation.

6. Smart Properties

 Alexa Smart Properties is a set of technologies that lets property owners and managers oversee Alexa-enabled devices at scale.

Smart Properties is a bridge to connecting with customers and crafting customized experiences across industries like healthcare, hospitality, and business. Whether it’s streaming a playlist, setting the temperature and lighting, or displaying hours of operation, Alexa Smart Properties simplifies processes and ensures consistency between locations of a hotel chain, residential property of healthcare facility.

See Smart Properties’ impact on senior living facilities, where it both boosts staff productivity and helps residents stay informed, connected, and entertained.

7.   Alexa Conversations

Voice responses are unpredictable. So how can you build a skill to handle the countless utterances you might receive? That’s where Alexa Conversations comes in. 

Alexa Conversations creates natural voice experiences on Alexa to enhance your code with machine learning. It gives skills the conversational memory to sustain long, two-way interactions between Alexa and the user—in turn allowing you to build skills that respond to a wide range of phrases and unexpected paths.

See the power of Alexa Conversations for yourself and get started building a fully-functioning skill in the Flight Search workshop.

8.   Building the future of ambient computing

Looking ahead, even more interactions will start with Alexa—but that won’t necessarily result in an overload of utterances.

Alexa devices and services are already able to understand the context of your home, predict your needs, and act on your behalf. Today, one in four Alexa smart home interactions are initiated by Alexa without customers saying a word. 

Welcome to the world of ambient computing: technology that is proactive and based on an interface you don’t have to learn. Now is the time to get started building customer experiences that minimize friction and make technology available at the ready in any environment.

Get the latest news and keep up with all things Alexa at our developer blog.