Despite Amazon's Alexa being smart, feature-rich and pretty much innovative, it has some spots that needs some "upgrade." One in particular that Alexa struggles is differentiating different voices to respond to. However, that problem may soon be non-existent, because Amazon is reportedly working on a voice recognition technology for Alexa.
According to Mac Rumors, Amazon is building upon the Alexa voice-recognition technology found in its Echo range of speakers. With this upcoming technology, Alexa will be able to distinguish between individual users based on the sound of their voices.
The article further stated that for the voice assistant to distinguish voices, the new feature would work by matching the person speaking to a pre-recorded voice sample or "voice print." With that being said, Amazon has been working to develop this feature since the summer of 2015. Furthermore, this technology has been already completed and the final step needed is to integrate it into Echo Speakers
So Why Has Amazon Not Release This Voice ID Feature?
That is the million dollar question - well, kind of. The thing is, this information that Amazon has already completed this technology was from "people familiar with the company's Alexa strategy," which could also be a possibility of fake news or misleading information.
However, Tech Times reports that Amazon is simply trying to figure out how to roll out the new feature to Alexa users without compromising privacy. This certainly holds some truth nonetheless, because Alexa is in a tussle over a legal controversy regarding private data.
Amazon Values Its Users' Privacy
As reported earlier, Amazon received an order last year to turn over audio from an Echo device along with the account and subscriber information to help solve a murder investigation. Arkansas police have been investigating James Andrew Bates for allegedly murdering his friend, Victor Collins, in November 2015. The police believe that there could be a possibility that Bate's Echo speaker may have overheard the murder.
Though Amazon has agreed to hand over subscriber information and purchase history, the company has refused to give the Echo recordings. In Amazon's defense, the digital assistant at the heart of Amazon Echo is protected by the First Amendment rights.
