Our uniquely Australian take on the English language isn't just slang – our conversational idiosyncrasies are a crucial part of how Australians connect with each other. The problem is, it's also harder to understand for those outside the Aussie bubble; even for the world's most skilled voice assistant. To solve this, we worked directly with the Amazon Alexa product team to enhance the voice assistants' language muscle by teaching Alexa 100s of the most frequently used Australian slang, idioms, and Aussie-isms. We then linked these catch-phrases and terms to a vast array of routines, skills, and actions. Following Alexa’s Aussie language update, we recruited some of the nation's most iconic and relevant Aussies to show how Alexa could now understand "Aussie" in its day-to-day use. With more Aussie phrases being learned every day, Alexa isn't just sounding local, she's fitting right into our unique way of life.

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When Alexa enters a new market, it's given an accent to make it feel more accessible and local. But simply giving Alexa an Australian accent isn't making Alexa a true voice assistant. In Australia, it's not just how we speak; it's what we say. Our slang serves as a proud cultural identifier, and we like that those colloquialisms separate and define us. Sure, we can speak to a voice assistant, but we can't speak naturally. We can't use the cultural colloquialisms that make us truly Australian. So we went beyond simply giving Alexa an Aussie accent and taught it the phrases and words that allowed Aussies to overcome smart speaker hesitancy making Alexa feel “like a mate”. Ultimately, we wanted Aussies to get Alexa, because they now know that Alexa gets Aussies.