chapter nine

9 Building for Google Assistant

 

This chapter covers:

  • Examining Google Assistant and how it differs from other platforms
  • Learning difference between Actions SDK and Dialogflow
  • Building interaction model in Dialogflow
  • Creating a Dialogflow-powered action

We’ve seen already the basics of a good VUI, and how to build an Alexa skill. Alexa, though, is not the only major voice-first platform. Nearly as prominent is Google, with Google Assistant coming on the Google Home and third-party devices. Although released after Alexa, Google has taken hold in the market, and may have even caught up to Amazon in devices sold by the time you’re reading this. Throughout the year I’m writing—2018—Google has been consistently growing faster than Amazon in putting smart speakers in homes.

Developers have been building for the Assistant platform from the beginning, creating what Google calls "actions," that extend the platform with custom interactions. Google is further trying to expand Assistant by playing to the search engine’s strengths, creating tools for website creators and Android developers to create actions based on what they’ve already built. Still, developers can also create new actions that are untied to anything else but Assistant.

9.1  Setting up the application

9.2  Building the interaction model

9.2.1   Building an intent

9.2.2  Testing with the simulator

9.2.3  Parameters and entities

9.2.4  Adding entities

9.2.5  Using parameters in intents

9.3  Fulfillment

9.3.1  The code

9.3.2  Deployment

Changing the invocation name

9.4  Summary