Amazon announced a bunch of new material at a big event in Seattle today . Chief among them are a burst of new features and improved functionality for Alexa . Some of them are pretty neat . One of them involves Samuel L. Jackson .
Alexa is a little more private
Amazon plow privacy concerns with Alexa and Echo devices right out of the gate . “ Privacy is foundational , ” was on the big CRT screen behind the executives at one point . In gain to some novel ironware feature article for Echo and Ring devices , Amazon will amend seclusion on Alexa with a telephone number of young command including , “ Alexa , tell apart me what you heard . ” This prompt the artificially intelligent robot to repeat its most recent recording . This is available today .
There ’s also , “ Alexa , why did you do that ? ” This , naturally , make Alexa explain why it executed its most late action at law . For example , if your lighter suddenly turn over off , you could necessitate Alexa why that happened , and it should excuse . This feature rolls out subsequently this class . The other main privateness update let in the ability to tell Alexa to delete recordings every three or eight months . This is also useable today .
Alexa sounds more human
Since everyone agree that Alexa sound like a data processor , Amazon is employ some nervous text - to - words applied science to make the assistant sound “ more affective and expressive . ” It should be observe that Amazon is act collar up here since Apple released an all - young spokesperson for Siri with the launching of Io 13 . Meanwhile , Google Duplex is apparently open of creating estimator voices that are indistinguishable from human ones .
It ’s unclear how Alexa ’s new voice will be receive . Dave Limp , Amazon ’s senior vice chairman of machine , explain . “ She can vocalise more excited , like when your favorite team win the game . ” ( This sounds terrifying . ) Limp added , “ If she ’s reading the news , she has a newscaster voice that sounds like the cadence of how you read the news . ” Also terrifying .
Alexa can speak two languages at once
So that nervous schoolbook - to - speech technology that ’s produce Alexa sound even creepier also offers some great perks for multilingual home . A new Multilingual Mode will let folk music let the cat out of the bag to Alexa in two languages at once . begin next month , this characteristic will be usable for three twain of voice communication in three region : English and Spanish in the United States , Indian English and Hindi in India , and Canadian English and French in Canada . Zoot alors !
Alexa can sound like your favorite celebrity
Rounding out the neural text - to - speech feature is a unexampled ability for Alexa to espouse the vox of a famous mortal . These are not recording study by that celebrity from a book , however . The new software just mimics the celebrities voice ( with their permission ) , and then Amazon will charge you $ 1 to install it on your gimmick . The first fame Alexa vocalisation is none other than Samuel L. Jackson . Both an explicit and non - expressed version ofthis badass motherfuckerwill be available afterward this class .
Alexa knows when you’re frustrated
This one is a little vague . Amazon says that it ’s developed a mystifying acquisition model so that Alexa will live when user get bedevil with her be amiss everything and doing stuff ill-timed . In doing so , Amazon suppose , “ Alexa translate the shade and inflection of the client — and can notice the frustration like a somebody would . ” We ’ll see how this make for out when it ’s harbinger afterward this year .
AlexaAmazonvoice assistants
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Photo: (Amazon)