Alexa uses automated speech recognition (ASR) followed by natural language understanding (NLU) to process user requests. Internally, Alexa makes use of Amazon Lex. Amazon Lex is the primary AWS service for building conversational interfaces with voice and text, using ASR and NLU.
In summary, we did the following in this recipe:
- Created a Java lambda as the backend for the Alexa skill
- Created an Alexa skill using the Alexa Skills Kit Command-Line Interface
- Linked the Alexa skill and Lambda
- Tested the skill
Now, let's learn some theory to understand these steps better.