The BBC is developing a voice-activated electronic assistant in an attempt to rival Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri.

It will similarly be styled as a character — currently dubbed “Auntie” by insiders in a nod to the BBC’s long-standing nickname — but will be renamed before launch to make it more “modern-sounding.”

The assistant would be available to download free on smartphones and smart TVs in Britain. It would allow users to seek information across the Internet by issuing a verbal instruction.

For example, users could ask the app to get weather reports, play the most recent episode of “The Archers” or work out the quickest route to work.

It is not yet clear how the BBC would make it available on smart speakers like those sold by Amazon and Google.

BBC chiefs want to make it easier for audiences to access the Web through a British system rather than relying on the American tech giants, according to insiders.

They also want to protect the BBC from monopolistic* behavior by Amazon, Apple and Google, which often rank their own products above rivals.(SD-Agencies)