Amazon’s Alexa will soon be able to read you stories in the voice of a loved one – even if they’re dead | Science & Technology News
Right after that, you can choose to have a deceased loved one tell you stories, play music, or simply turn on the lights – all from your Alexa device.
Amazon says it wants to “extend the memories” and is developing a system that will allow its assistant to mimic any voice less than a minute after hearing the sound.
So your Alexa could soon be mimicking your terminal, long-lost friend or perhaps someone turning off the TV.
Rohit Prasad, Amazon’s senior vice president, said the aim is to “make memories last” after “so many of us have lost someone we love”.
News after discussion about a Google chatbot, which an engineer claims to be sentient and can express thoughts and feelings.
At a conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, a video depicts a child asking, “Alexa, can you read me The Wizard of Oz?”
Moments later, Alexa confirmed the command and changed her voice.
She speaks softly, less robotic, looking like a grandma in real life.
Read more: ‘I fell in love with my AI girlfriend – and it saved my marriage’
But Amazon’s work has delved into an area of technology that has drawn scrutiny for potential interests and abuses.
Microsoft Corporation recently restricted which businesses can use its software to deceive voices.
Its purpose is to help people with speech disabilities or other problems, but some worry it could also be used to propagate political crimes.
Mr. Prasad said Amazon’s goal for Alexa is “generally possible intelligence” or the ability to adapt to a user’s environment and learn new concepts with little outside input.
That goal, he said, is “not to be confused with the almighty, almighty uber artificial intelligence,” aka AGI, which Alphabet’s DeepMind unit and OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk are looking for.
