Amazon Asks Developers to Create Alexa Skills that Inspire Behavior Changes

Jul 30, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Amazon Asks Developers to Create Alexa Skills that Inspire Behavioral Changes

Smart speakers have become one of the hottest products in consumer technology with experts predicting that 56.3 million will be sold worldwide this year. Recently, Amazon, one of the largest smart speaker manufacturers, introduced Alexa Donations with Amazon Pay, which allows users to donate directly to charities through an Alexa skill, or voice activated capability. Now the iconic online marketplace is asking consumers to join in, using its assets to make a positive impact on the environment, local communities and the world.

This month, Amazon launched the Alexa Skills Challenge: Tech for Good, inviting developers to create an Alexa skill that benefits society. The company is looking for a skill that solves a customer problem, inspires customers to learn and take action and delivers a seamless user experience. To ensure these newly created capabilities can easily be embedded into users’ lives, Amazon urges developers to keep things simple – the more complex, the quicker consumers will lose interest and they won’t be inclined to use it again. The skills created can address a range of topics from STEM education to disaster relief and sustainable transportation – giving developers a chance to solve for issues that matter most to them. 

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