Fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has turned to Amazon Web Services (AWS) so Canadian chicken eaters can chat with the iconic Colonel Sanders himself when re-ordering their favourite meal.

The voice-activated skill is available through any Alexa-enabled Amazon device.

KFC worked with AWS to use Amazon Polly, an artificial intelligence service that turns text into lifelike speech using deep learning technologies to re-create the iconic voice of KFC’s founder, Colonel Harland Sanders.

KFC is the first global fast-food chain to use this text-to-speech technology from AWS to provide customers with a unique ordering experience. So, whether they are looking to feast on a 12-piece bucket with friends and family, or dine solo for one, just ask and the Colonel will deliver.

“We are excited to be one of the first brands to adopt the Amazon Polly enhanced text-to-speech voice technology to create a seamless and distinctively KFC re-ordering experience for our fans,” said Jason Cassidy, marketing director for KFC in Canada. “The Colonel was passionate about his fried chicken and this new skill makes re-ordering your favourite KFC menu items easier than ever but in a fun and memorable way.”

The skill comes on the heels of KFC Canada’s Chicken Talk skill launched in 2017, which saw Alexa feed customers chicken jokes, poultry pick-up lines, random chicken thoughts, and even a Colonel Quiz game.

“We’re pleased to have worked with KFC Canada to cook up this unique experience for their customers to interact with Alexa-enabled devices through the voice of Colonel Sanders,” said Matt Wood, vice president of artificial intelligence at AWS. “We extended Amazon Polly, an artificial intelligence cloud service which creates life-like speech, to incorporate a spicy Southern accent and speech patterns that are consistent with the world famous persona of Colonel Sanders. We think KFC customers will agree, the Colonel never sounded so finger lickin’ good.”

Founded by Colonel Sanders in 1952, KFC is now the world’s most popular chain of chicken restaurants. Today, KFC is a subsidiary of Yum Brands and operates more than 23,000 outlets in more than 140 countries and territories around the world including more than 600 in Canada.