Alexa ‘nanny’ pleased to teach manners
AMAZON’S Alexa voice assistant will teach children to mind their Ps and Qs in response to fears that the voice-activated Echo speakers were leading children to bark orders.
The company’s latest speaker will reward children for saying “please” and “thank you” in an attempt to encourage more polite questions.
When a child questions a new “Kids Edition” of the Echo speaker and says “please”, it will respond: “Thanks for asking so nicely.” When they say “thank you”, the speaker will reply “you’re welcome” or “no worries”.
Children’s charities had previously warned that the commanding way people have learned to address voice assistants was being picked up by children. A report from Childwise found that children were learning to talk “as aggressively or rudely as they like without any consequences”.
Amazon put the speaker on sale in the US on Tuesday but did not say if it planned to in the UK. The speaker, which uses its Alexa voice assistant to play music, games or answer questions, will also filter out explicit lyrics and songs from music playlists. Parents had previously slammed Amazon for playing rude songs on their familyfriendly speakers.
“Parents can filter explicit songs from Amazon Music and voice shopping is turned off to help prevent unexpected purchases.
“Alexa even provides positive feedback when kids ask questions and remember to say ‘please’,” the company said.
While the original Echo was designed for those aged 13 and up, it has proved popular with children, and Amazon says the child-friendly version is aimed at children aged five to 12.
Amazon has also added features that make the new Alexa almost a voicecontrolled nanny, suggesting parents make voice calls through the Echo to their children, which can link up to other Echo devices in the household, to tell children to come to dinner, do their homework, or even wish them a good night’s sleep.
Amazon added: “Let kids know dinner is ready, ask for help with a chore, or remind them to go to sleep – all without raising your voice.”