Alexa is coming to many more devices this year

Alexa is featured at the Whirlpool booth. LAS VEGAS--Bark out "Alexa" in the congested halls of CES, and you would have heard a chorus of devices, from cars to smartphones to household appliances, answer back. OK, so not literally, but Alexa is assuming an increasing role across numerous products, a sure sign Amazon is leaning on its vocal digital assistant to spread its artificial intelligence system everywhere, and certainly go well beyond the popular Echo speaker where Alexa got its start. Rival Google Assistant wasn't as prominent at this CES, though hot chipmaker Nvidia aims to expand the artificial intelligence-powered assistant's reach throughout the home. Also, Google announced integrations with Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai, and Rishi Chandra, the vice-president for Google Home, gave a talk on smarter homes.