The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) under the Government of India is currently exploring the possibilities to adopt smart virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant during the upcoming 2019 General Elections. While Alexa is used with Amazon Echo, Google assistant works well with Google Home and Google Home Mini. The sources indicate that the ministry is currently considering the use of Alexa only.
The cloud-based services with the help of Amazon Echo and Google Home Mini will provide live updates in the form of news and other media content during the high voltage 2019 General Elections in April/May 2019. You will be able to play commands like “Alexa, what’s the latest election news”
According to sources, the department is currently running a beta project that makes use of Amazon Alexa to deliver live updates via Echo speakers during the International Film Festival of India scheduled to start from November 20 to 28.
As part of the outreach program, the Alexa skill will deliver information about news, press conferences including announcements twice a day in morning and evening. Going forward, Alexa will deliver news about cabinet decisions and other ministries. The Government is also gearing up to launch special apps for Apple Siri even though the market share is less when compared with Alexa.
To recall, Vividh Bharati under All India Radio (AIR) had launched on Amazon Alexa with 14 other regional languages. The election campaign is expected to be digital with all major political parties has upped the ante by employing special social media team. Going forward, digital will play a pivotal role in not only national but also regional state-level elections.
