Samuel L. Jackson's voice will soon be coming to Amazon Alexa devices
Alexa, hold on to your butts. Samuel L. Jackson's voice will soon be coming to an Amazon Alexa device near you.
Amazon Alexa users will be able to hear the star's voice in their living rooms later this year, thanks to a neural text-to-speech engine, Amazon VP David Limp said during a Wednesday event, reports CNET. The technology has the ability to adopt the voices of public figures, with their consent, by utilizing recordings the stars offer up as the baseline for additional computer-generated phrases, BBC News explains.
"He's in the cloud baby! Hollywood legend Samuel L. Jackson is here to add some fun to your Alexa experience," Amazon's voice page declared. "Just ask and Sam will give you the weather, play your favorite music, tell jokes, and more."
The site says he can't help with shopping, lists, reminders or skills, however.
Enabling Jackson's recognizable voice isn't free; Amazon says the introductory price is 99 cents, and the regular price will be $4.99. It did not give a date for when the feature will become available.
To get the voice, users simply will need to say, "Alexa, introduce me to Samuel L. Jackson" and decide whether they would like the explicit or clean version. The actor is known for his frequent, and very quotable, use of profanity.
The voices of other celebrities will soon be available as well, reports the BBC. The stars are getting paid for their likenesses. It isn't yet clear if the price will be the same for other figures, reports CNET.
Amazon also revealed new Alexa-powered devices during the Wednesday event, including an Amazon Smart Oven, an Echo Dot with a clock and pricey Echo Studio speakers, reports CNET. In addition, the retailer introduced Echo Buds earbuds and Echo Frames eyewear.