Amazon and Disney unveil new Alexa-like assistant, 'Hey, Disney!'

Alexa is getting immoderate company.

Amazon and Disney person unveiled an "entirely caller persona" called "Hey, Disney!"

"It marks the archetypal clip that we're making different voice assistant disposable alongside Alexa connected Echo devices," Aaron Rubenson, Amazon's vice president of Alexa Voice Service & Alexa Skills told USA TODAY up of Tuesday's announcement.

"Hey, Disney!" volition beryllium disposable some successful country astatine Disney Resort hotels and connected supported Amazon Echo devices astatine home.

"It's going to springiness guests the quality to benignant of interact with our beloved characters successful wholly caller ways" said Dan Soto, vice president of Technology and Digital for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.

What tin 'Hey, Disney!' do?

"Hey, Disney!" was designed to marque the Alexa acquisition adjacent much magical with things similar jokes, interactive trivia with your family, idiosyncratic greetings from our characters, soundscapes and more," Soto told USA TODAY. "It volition perfectly see authentic quality voices, archetypal recordings, unsocial audio environments inspired by our films and our destinations astir the satellite and implicit 1,000 magical interactions for our guests to discover."

When volition 'Hey, Disney!' debut?

"Hey, Disney!" is expected to rotation retired adjacent year.

How overmuch volition 'Hey, Disney!' cost?

"Hey, Disney!" volition beryllium escaped for guests to entree connected Amazon Echo devices successful Disney Resort edifice rooms.

It's not yet wide however overmuch it volition outgo to bargain connected the Alexa Skills Store for usage astatine home. Details volition beryllium released connected amazon.com/heydisney.

How bash I usage 'Hey, Disney!'?

Like Alexa, the dependable adjunct has its ain unsocial aftermath words: "Hey, Disney!"

Where tin I usage 'Hey, Disney!'?

While the bulk of "Hey, Disney!" features volition beryllium disposable some astatine location and astatine Disney Resort hotels, edifice guests volition person further offering done Alexa for Hospitality.

"You tin inquire 'Hey, Disney!' things like, 'What clip is the parkland open? Where tin I get Italian food? When's the adjacent autobus to Epcot leaving my resort?'" Soto said. "You tin adjacent bash immoderate functional things similar bid much blankets oregon towels to the room."

"This is simply a solution that lets Disney deploy and negociate devices astatine standard and besides make unsocial experiences to heighten the acquisition for for guests," Rubenson said.

Will 'Hey, Disney!' enactment with Disney Genie?

This fall, Walt Disney World and Disneyland volition motorboat a new, escaped trip-planning instrumentality called Disney Genie.

Soto said Disney is looking astatine ways to entree things similar itineraries and that different opportunities whitethorn travel down the line.

What volition 'Hey, Disney!' dependable like?

While users tin perceive from a big of beloved, acquainted Disney characters done "Hey, Disney!," Soto and Rubenson said the dependable adjunct volition beryllium a "brand new, unsocial identity" that is "different than Alexa's voice."

What astir privateness concerns?

"For some Disney and Amazon, protecting the information and privateness of our guests is paramount," Soto said, noting that guests volition person to opt in, not opt out, to usage "Hey, Disney!"

Beyond having aforesaid privateness protections arsenic different Amazon products and devices, Rubenson said: "The in-room acquisition successful peculiar is designed with privateness successful caput and truthful nary audio is stored by default. Also conscionable to beryllium clear, customers don't log successful with Amazon to usage the experience, truthful nary idiosyncratic accusation is transmitted astir the guests astatine each erstwhile they interact with 'Hey, Disney!'"

He noted that Echo microphones successful edifice rooms tin besides beryllium manually turned off.

"At home," Rubenson said, "if customers, for their ain idiosyncratic devices, take to acquisition the 'Hey, Disney!' experience, that operates similar our different child-directed experiences, truthful it requires verifiable parental consent earlier anybody tin adjacent usage it, and ... arsenic a customer, you person entree to your dependable recordings, you tin delete them, you tin take to person them deleted automatically, each of the same, benignant of privateness controls you expect are portion of that experience."

What's next?

While "Hey Disney" is the archetypal custom-branded and tailored voice adjunct to beryllium launched utilizing Alexa Custom Assistant, Amazon has not hinted astatine what others could beryllium coming down the line.

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