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Home / News / Amazon’s creepy future Alexa feature mimics voices, alive or passed

Amazon’s creepy future Alexa feature mimics voices, alive or passed

Are you ready to hand over a voice to Alexa?

Amazone Echo tips and tricks dot clock

It’s not just online shopping that Amazon dominates, but the land of smart speakers too. The Echo range of smart speakers boasts a slew of features that make your life easier. Need to pop the kettle on? Alexa’s got it. Out of toilet paper? Alexa already ordered it. But Amazon has showcased a creepy new feature that doesn’t do much in the way of convenience.

At the company’s re:MARS AI conference, Amazon took to the stage to unveil a future Alexa feature – mimicking voices. Alexa (if we can call her that when doing another voice) read out a storybook to a child in the voice of his passed away grandmother.

Amazon is going for the approach of using AI to help preserve memories, but we’re not quite sure this is the way to go. There’s something slightly ominous about Alexa posing as Grandma Doris to read out a story. Admirable or creepy, you decide.

How exactly does Alexa pick up the voice she mimics? By listening to it, of course! Amazon claims the feature can create a voiceprint with just one minute of audio. Using this voiceprint, some clever AI behind-the-scenes work can mimic the voice in context. Given the success of existing deepfakes, we’re confident Alexa will at least get the mimic right. Amazon actually helped with a documentary on Anthony Bourdain using an AI to clone his voice, so we’ve seen the company take a swing at this before.

While Amazon showed off this new Alexa feature on the big stage, there’s currently no word on if (or when) the feature will be making its way to our living rooms. There’s also no clarification on whether or not the feature would be used for all voice responses, or just specific functions.

Given Amazon’s slightly shaky history with privacy, we’re not too sure this feature will prove popular. But regardless, it’s impressive to see AI used in this way. Impressive in a “What the hell is this?” kind of way. Creepy, too.

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About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around seven years now, with writing across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he’s a fan of gadgets of all sorts! Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup scene. This exciting involvement puts him at the front of new and exciting tech, always on the lookout for innovating products.

Areas of expertise

Mobile, macOS, EVs, smart home