Alexa Gets More Talkative

The official title of the Amazon Science blog is "Alexa gets better at predicting customers’ goals," but you should read this as, "The Turing test is not for machines to pass, but for humans to fail." Continue Reading →

Alexa Is Getting Emotional

C-3P0
A few weeks ago, Amazon announced new developer tools to enable Alexa to speak with emotion, either excited or disappointed across a range of intensities. Amazon said, "Use new Alexa Emotions and speaking styles to create a more natural and intuitive voice experience." Continue Reading →

“Alexa, can you put an Echo everywhere in my life?”

Echo Frames
When you look at the list of voice-voice-activated hardware Amazon announced this week, even those who are not paranoid have to stop and think. The standout “Think About This…” device is called Echo Frames, a pair of audio-only smart glasses. They will read you your notifications and offer optional support for Google Assistant. And, yes, Continue Reading →

Is Alexa Spying on You?

Bad Alexa
Some people believe that Alexa is listening all the time. This is true. Some people believe that Alexa records every word for posterity. This is false. Some people believe that having an Amazon Echo increases their risk of being hacked. This is also false. But, there’s more to the story. Continue Reading →

Sex with Robots is Almost Here

westworld
Remember that talk you had with your parents when you were just starting to notice the opposite sex? It’s time to think about how that talk is going to sound when you add loving, committed relationships with your new AI system to the mix. Continue Reading →

Can Alexa Lie?

Echo Glowing Red Ring
There was a recent tabloid piece featuring a video of a woman asking Alexa if it was connected to the CIA. At the time, the Echo Dot she was speaking to did not respond to the question. She asked a few times, and each time the Echo was silent. Conspiracy theorists weighed in. It was an amusing video, but the Daily Mail’s clickbait headline raises a legitimate question: Can Alexa lie? Continue Reading →