Alexa, Say Hello to Mr Amitabh Bachchan: Amazon Assistant Gets First Indian Celeb Voice

Celebrity voices on technology platforms are not particularly unheard of. Legendary Hollywood star Samuel L. Jackson was announced in 2019 as the first celebrity voice of Alexa. Prior to that, fellow star and legendary actor Morgan Freeman featured as the voice of GPS app Waze’s voice navigation feature. However, feature celebrity voices on audio-enabled technology platforms is typically a promotional venture, and it is yet to be seen if Bachchan’s voice on Alexa will remain as a permanent offering, or will appear as a short-duration promotional feature. Jackson’s voice interestingly featured only for users with their language and region configured to English (USA), and it is not known yet if Bachchan’s voice will be similarly geo-restricted as well.

While it is confirmed that Bachchan’s Alexa voice will be a paid Skill upgrade, it is not clear as to which language would his voice feature on. It is likely that Bachchan will speak in his native Hindi, and may also have a few witty one-liners to offer in English too. As mentioned, the voice will be premiered on all Alexa-enabled devices in India, including third party smartphones and TVs with the Alexa voice assistant, some time in 2021.