BBC set to launch 'Beeb', its own voice assistant

The BBC will launch a new digital voice assistant next year that will be similar to devices developed by Amazon, Apple, Baidu, and Google but - it claims - better able to understand the range of dialects and accents found in the British Isles.

The corporation, the United Kingdom's state broadcaster, says its product, tentatively called "Beeb", will not be a physical device but software that can operate on smart speakers, smart TVs, and mobile phones.

The BBC, which has a workforce of more than 20,000 people, has invited employees from around the UK to record their voices, in a bid to train the software to recognize regional ways of speaking.

"Much like we did with BBC iPlayer, we want to make sure everyone can benefit from this new technology, and bring people exciting new content, programs, and services, in a trusted, easy-to-use way," the corporation said in a statement. "This marks another step in ensuring public service values can be protected in a voice-enabled future."

The company says its assistant will help it "experiment with new programs, features, and experiences".

Larger rivals

Chinese technology company Baidu and US multinational Amazon have the voice assistant market cornered, with a combined 43 percent market share, according to technology research company Canalys. Apple's Siri, Google's Assistant, Microsoft's Cortana, and Samsung's Bixby are also fighting for shares.

Currently, around 20 percent of British households have a voice assistant device. The Guardian newspaper said the Beeb was created by an in-house team. Its main function is likely to be to helping people find their favorite programs. It is not expected to offer the full range of services provided by larger rivals.

The device's artificial voice will be based on the voice of a real person, but BBC hasn't said who that will be.

The BBC said some people have concerns about commercial voice assistants because of targeted advertising and security issues, so a BBC voice assistant may be regarded as more trustworthy.

"People know and trust the BBC, so it will use its role as public service innovator in technology to ensure everyone - not just the tech-elite - can benefit from accessing content and new experiences in this new way," the BBC statement said.

UK tech website The Inquirer said the BBC's announcement surprised the industry "as this didn't seem to be on the corporation's to-do list".

The news that the corporation has spent time and money developing such a device comes as the BBC has said the future of channels BBC Two, BBC Four, and BBC Five Live could be threatened by a funding crisis.