Voice interfaces are the next major disruption in computing. The Alexa Skills Kit allows developers to build voice driven skills for Alexa by handling natural language conversations with users. Skills can have multi-turn dialogs that involve slot elicitation, confirmation and resolution to gather user intent and parameters through spoken conversations.

1. Apply Alexa’s Natural Language To
Your Challenges
@AlexaDevs
Sohan Maheshwar, Alexa Evangelist

2. 70s 80s 90s 00s Present
Graphical User
Interface (GUI)
Character Mode
Voice User Interface (VUI)
Mobile
Web

3. VOICE REPRESENTS THE
NEXT MAJOR DISRUPTION IN COMPUTING

5. and growing every day

6. Building for Voice
with Alexa

7. Alexa Skills Kit
Request
Audio
Response
Your Service
Text to Speech
Machine Learning
Natural Language
Understanding
Speech Recognition
Cards

8. Wake Word
Alexa,
wake word

9. Wake and Launch
Start
Launch
Begin
Resume
Ask
Tell
Alexa, open Bangalore Guide
wake word Invocation namelaunch

10. Utterances and Intents
Alexa, open Bangalore Guide and recommend an attraction
wake word utteranceInvocation namelaunch

11. Utterances and Intent
Recommend an Attraction
utterance
AttractionIntent
Intent
Alexa, open Bangalore Guide

12. Utterances and Intents

13. Intent and Slot
Recommend an Attraction within four miles
AttractionIntent
slot
{distance: “4”}
slot value
Alexa, open Bangalore Guide
utterance
Intent

14. Conversation

15. One-shot invocation

16. One-shot invocation

17. Multi-turn Dialogs
Alexa, start outdoor guru
Welcome to…
Alexa, ask outdoor guru about hiking
Where to?
Goa
Goa?
Yes
When .. leave?
Next Friday
Until when?
The following Tuesday
What will you like to do?
I’ll be fishing
Did I get all this right?
yes
I have two ideas for you…
Invoking
the skill
Dialog
support
Intent
handling

18. Multi-turn Dialogs
Alexa, start outdoor guru
Welcome to…
Alexa, ask outdoor guru about hiking
Where to?
Goa
Goa?
Yes
When .. leave?
Next Friday
Until when?
The following Tuesday
What will you like to do?
I’ll be fishing
Did I get all this right?
yes
I have two ideas for you…
Slot
elicitation
Slot
confirmation
Intent
confirmation

19. GRAPH UI VS. FRAME UI

20. Slots
{animal}
dog
cat
{size}
tiny
small
medium
large
{fur}
long
short
{temperament}
playful
lazy
mean
I’d like a that’s haired, and
{animal}
dog
cat
{size}
tiny
small
large
gigantic
{fur}
long
short
{temperament}
playful
lazy
mean
I’d like a with hair.

21. Dialog Management
{size}
{fur}
{temperament}
petMatchAPI ()
prompt
prompt
prompt
dialog complete
dialog
in
progress
dialog directive:
delegate or
elicit slot with prompt

22. small
mini ?
little ?
petite ?
{size}
tiny
small
medium
large

23. Entity Resolution
{size} synonyms
tiny mini, petite, teacup
small mini, little, lap, tiny
medium average, typical
large Huge, big, gigantic

24. Entity Resolution - Match
"slots": {
”size": {
"value": "little",
"resolutions": {
"resolutionsPerAuthority": [ {
"status": {
"code": "ER_SUCCESS_MATCH”},
"values": [{
"value": {
"name": "small"
}
{size}
tiny
small
medium
large

25. Entity Resolution – Match Multiple Values
"slots": {
”size": {
"value": "mini",
"resolutions": {
"resolutionsPerAuthority": [ {
"status": {
"code": "ER_SUCCESS_MATCH"},
"values": [{
"value": {
"name": "tiny”
},
"value": {
"name": "small”
},
{size}
tiny
small
medium
large

26. Entity Resolution – No Match
"slots": {
”size": {
"value": "itty bitty",
"resolutions": {
"resolutionsPerAuthority": [ {
"status": {
"code": "ER_SUCCESS_NO_MATCH"}
{size}
tiny
small
medium
large

27. What’s Your Core
Functionality?
Traffic Skill Example
Give an estimated time of
arrival from home to work
Crawl

28. Analyze user feedback
& optimize skill
What’s Your Core
Functionality?
Traffic Skill Example
Give an estimated time of
arrival from home to work
Crawl
Expand Capabilities
& Features
Traffic Skill Example
Include accidents, construction
and closures on route
Walk

29. Analyze user feedback
& optimize skill
Innovate for
Customers
What’s Your Core
Functionality?
Traffic Skill Example
Give an estimated time of
arrival from home to work
Crawl
Expand Capabilities
& Features
Traffic Skill Example
Include accidents, construction
and closures on route
Walk
Evolve over
Time
Traffic Skill Example
Proactively alert user to
delays and provide
alternate routes
Run

30. BUILDING NATURAL LANGUAGE DIALOGS
Dialog Management and Entity Resolution
alexa.design/guide
alexa.design/India

31. Thank you!
@soganmageshwar | sohanm@amazon.com
Sohan Maheshwar, Alexa Evangelist