Amazon Alexa new features encourages kids to be polite
- 6 years ago
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON — Amazon has developed a new version of Alexa — its AI-powered voice assistant — to encourage children to say 'please' and 'thank you' when giving a command.
Based on a research done by Childwise, kids who are used to shouting orders at Alexa, Google Assistant or other virtual assistants might become aggressive when they interact with other humans.
The research team said the kids they talked to said they never say "please" or "thank you" when talking to their devices.
The new feature encourages kids to say "please" and "thank you", this will prompt Alexa to reply with various responses like "thank you for asking so nicely" or "you're welcome".
The free version of the FreeTime service offers functions like set bedtime hours, switching off certain services like voice-purchasing, and block songs with explicit lyrics.
If you're willing to pay $2.99 per month, you will have more functions like alarms with the voices of well-known cartoon characters, access to a huge selection of child-focused audio books, and exclusive use of software from Disney and National Geographic.
Alexa's voice-recognition software has also been updated to react to children's high-pitched voice, and it will be able to respond to "Awexa" for kids who can't yet pronounce the letter L.
The politeness feature is only available for Echo Dot owners that have the FreeTime function enabled. However, Amazon said they will evaluate and see if it's something people want to have on the main Alexa experience.
Based on a research done by Childwise, kids who are used to shouting orders at Alexa, Google Assistant or other virtual assistants might become aggressive when they interact with other humans.
The research team said the kids they talked to said they never say "please" or "thank you" when talking to their devices.
The new feature encourages kids to say "please" and "thank you", this will prompt Alexa to reply with various responses like "thank you for asking so nicely" or "you're welcome".
The free version of the FreeTime service offers functions like set bedtime hours, switching off certain services like voice-purchasing, and block songs with explicit lyrics.
If you're willing to pay $2.99 per month, you will have more functions like alarms with the voices of well-known cartoon characters, access to a huge selection of child-focused audio books, and exclusive use of software from Disney and National Geographic.
Alexa's voice-recognition software has also been updated to react to children's high-pitched voice, and it will be able to respond to "Awexa" for kids who can't yet pronounce the letter L.
The politeness feature is only available for Echo Dot owners that have the FreeTime function enabled. However, Amazon said they will evaluate and see if it's something people want to have on the main Alexa experience.