The patient, confident voice seems to humanize the Amazon Echo.
She has been called the other girlfriend, the nice library lady, and even the perfect spouse.
But she’s not an actual person. She’s a black cylindrical box.
She’s Alexa, and she’s humanizing technology.
Alexa is the voice of the Amazon Echo, a wireless speaker and voice command device that can play music and audiobooks, make to-do lists, set alarms, tell the time and weather, and provide other information in real time. Just say “Alexa’’ to wake it up and state your question or request.
For example: “Alexa, how do you spell Mississippi?’’ Or “Alexa, play my dance mix.’’
For many early adopters, calling Alexa an “it’’ doesn’t seem right. Alexa takes on a humanlike form, an ever-present voice in people’s houses. Many people consider her a person living inside the box.
The Echo became widely available in June 2015 and was prominently featured in Amazon’s Super Bowl ad in 2016. Sales have gradually picked up speed, and Amazon recently reported it has sold about 3 million of the devices at $179.99 each.
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Alexa has been compared to Siri but with better accuracy. She rarely misunderstands commands, and she can pick up her name from the other side of a room.
The Echo has a wide range of uses. It plays music, accessing Spotify as well as songs available through Amazon Prime Music or from a smartphone. In the mood for a certain genre? The Echo can offer playlists on command.
The Echo can connect with other smart home devices, including lights, thermostats and video recorders. Not only can it turn room lights, it can also adjust the brightness.
Alexa knows how to tell time, predict the weather and warn of a bad morning commute. She can also play audiobooks, starting where she last left off and stopping after a certain length of time.
Developers are working on making new skills for Echo that others can download for their own devices. The skills can be funny or novel, such as ones that teach Echo to dish out compliments or insults. They also can be more thoughtful, more human.
Some people are working on teaching Echo to be a therapist, able pick up on users’ emotions and feelings. After all, Alexa is a patient listener.
