Gain insights into developing voice apps with Alexa Skills Kit. Delve into real projects, learn fundamentals, and discover how to launch apps on the Alexa skill store.

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Voice is the next big revolution in tech. As conversational AI finds new and interesting use cases, it's time for developers to make use of the new opportunities to re-use their existing skills to build the next generation of apps powered by voice. 

This course will help you learn how to start developing apps for Alexa using the Alexa Skills Kit. You will be building real and interesting projects that will help you understand the fundamentals. Along the way, you will learn all the skills you need to launch your own apps on the Alexa skill store and reach millions of customers around the world. "Hey Alexa, shall we begin?"

Alexa Skills 101: Building voice apps for Alexa

# The technology behind Alexa

The previous decade has seen remarkable progress in various technologies, including Cloud Technologies, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Automated Speech Recognition (ASR). The convergence of these ground-breaking technologies has made something like Alexa possible. But how do they all work together within Alexa? Let’s take a closer look at the mechanics that are at play when a user asks Alexa for the latest news from “New York Times,” a custom Alexa Skill.



Let’s look at the various steps between us asking Alexa for something and Alexa giving a response. We can use the above diagram to get an overview view of the entire process.







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**Wake word detection**

To start interacting with Alexa, we need to call her by her name, “Alexa.” This name is known as the **wake word**.

The device has a built-in microphone and speaker that constantly check for whether the wake word has been spoken. It does this by trying to match acoustic patterns of the spoken words to the wake word using a technology called keyword spotting. All this happens on the device. Once Alexa knows that we are trying to make a request, the magic begins.

This lesson will offer a closer look at what goes on when we use Alexa.

Hello Alexa: An Introduction to the World of Voice

Setting You Up For Success

Your First Skill

Advanced Concepts

Building a Game: Voice Clues

Voice Clues: Coding with ASK CLI

Next Steps

Alexa, How Do You Work?