BBC's Beeb voice assistant enters beta phase with northern accent

(Image credit: BBC)

An early beta version of the BBC's voice assistant, Beeb, has been released for testing on Windows computers.

The voice assistant, which is built on Microsoft technology, can now be trialled by users of Microsoft's Windows Insider programme, so long as they have a Windows computer with the latest 10 operating system update that launched last month, as well as a BBC account for iPlayer and Sounds. They simply need install Beeb from the Windows Store.

Examples of commands available now, provided by the BBC, include "update me," for the news; "Play Radio 1," or any BBC show; and "tell me a fact," for QI trivia. The wake word that precedes such commands: "OK Beeb".

The BBC has said it has no plans to launch a smart speaker or any other smart hardware; rather, it has designed the software to be built into the BBC website and potentially the iPlayer and Sounds apps on other hardware – to, according to Grace Boswood, the chief operating officer of the BBC’s design and engineering department, maintain a direct relationship with licence-fee payers. Beeb will be licensed to manufacturers who want to use it in their products, too.

Becky is a hi-fi, AV and technology journalist, formerly the Managing Editor at What Hi-Fi? and Editor of Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica magazines. With over twelve years of journalism experience in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices.

In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.