After Samuel L Jackson, Amitabh Bachchan will be the new voice of Amazon's Alexa from Bollywood

“Yes, you heard that right! Amitabh Bachchan has partnered with Amazon to create a unique celebrity voice experience,” said Amazon in its Blog. Alexa voice assistant who has created a niche despite competitors like Siri and Google Assistant now has roped in Bollywood megastar to voice it.

“The baritone that has enchanted the Indian film industry for over five decades will soon deliver a unique voice experience to the many Indian customers who use Alexa”. Amazon announced on its India blog on Monday. Users will be able to access “Mr Bachchan’s iconic voice on Alexa by purchasing the Amitabh Bachchan voice experience,” the blog said.

Speaking on this feature, Mr Amitabh Bachchan says, “Technology has always given me an opportunity to adapt to new forms. Be it in movies, TV shows, podcasts and now, I am excited to create this voice experience in partnership with Amazon and Alexa. With voice technology, we are building something to engage more effectively with my audience and well-wishers.”

Others celebrities to a Voice Assistant

Our very own Nick Fury has voiced Alexa. It has since added professional voice actors who recite Shakespeare, Mark Twain, proverbs and fables. Last year, rival Google Assistant added the voice of American singer John Legend. The dominant Google voice assistant has yet to debut a celebrity voice in India.

As with Jackson, Amazon will apply neural speech technology to make Alexa sound exactly like Bachchan. So, no matter what question he is answering he doesn't have to record every word in his voice in the studio. Users can buy Bachchan’s voice as a skill to provide weather updates, recite poetry and give advice.

Saying that cricket and Bollywood are integral to Alexa’s unique Indian personality, Puneesh Kumar, Country Leader, Amazon India, adds:

"Mr Bachchan’s voice is truly memorable for any Indian who has grown-up with Bollywood. This combination delivers a perfect pitch to further delight and simplifies the lives of our customers. We are excited to see how our customers will respond when they use Alexa and hear his voice.”

Alexa is also available on the Echo, Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote, Fire TV Edition. Android Amazon Shopping app also has a free app. In addition, several third-party devices like mobile phones, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, wearables and smart TVs also come with Alexa built-in.