Dive Brief:
- Google announced the developer preview of its Google Assistant SDK (software development kit) in a company blog post.
- The SDK will allow developers to build hardware prototypes that include the Google Assistant artificial intelligence technology with the post providing examples like self-built robots or voice-enabled smart mirrors.
- Google Assistant is now available on a variety of platforms including Google Allo, Google Home, Pixel phones, Android Wear and Android phones running Marshmallow and Nougat. The tech is expected to include Android Auto and Android TV support soon.
Dive Insight:
The post pointed out that the release is a developer preview and that some of the features it is still working on include hotword support, companion app integration and more. Google provided an example of the Assistant SDK in action with an implementation by Deeplocal that built a mocktails mixer that included voice interaction with the machine “bartender.”
Google’s announcement comes less than two weeks after Amazon released an SDK for the hardware and software behind its Alexa-powered Echo devices. Using the SDK different manufacturers can create their own hardware devices that take advantage of Alexa’s AI and also can replicate the microphone array used in Echo devices for voice interaction.
Both Google and Amazon have an interest in getting their own flavor of voice digital assistants in as many devices as possible, and the release of both SDK’s makes that much more likely. Right now Amazon is the clear leader in the personal digital assistant space which includes Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana.
