Alexa users can now chat with the dead as Amazon adds bizarre AI feature
Ever imagined chatting with your favourite late celebrities or historical figures?
What if I told you you could do so from the comfort of your couch?
Sounds like sci-fi fiction, but Amazon is making this a reality with a virtual time machine.
Okay, so you won't be travelling in time physically but having conversations with people from the dead is a pretty close and unique experience.
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The new Amazon feature called Character.AI lets Alexa users chat in real time with a range of different personas.
The AI chatbot can impersonate anything from dead and alive celebrities, and historical figures, to fictional characters.
Amazon has announced that currently there are four categories with 28 predefined characters, though I'm sure more content will be added in the near future. The categories are: General assistants, Skill helpers, Historical icons, and Just for fun.
Additionally, the AI tool also offers practical applications in terms of queries.
Instead of asking Alexa for help, users will be able to chat and ask questions to specialist AI bots ranging from trip planners, to dating and fitness coaches - whether the information is useful or not.
So if you wanted to ask Elon Musk how much he's making a day or fancy a chat with Albert Einstein, you now can!
Available now on the Alexa Skill Store, the tool is becoming increasingly popular and could be a close competitor to other advanced AI platforms like ChatGPT.
Amazon's latest upgrade was revealed at the Consumer Electrics Show (CES) 2024 and is part of the company's ongoing efforts to advance its virtual assistant technology.
The feature is now available to all Amazon Echo and Alexa users. To use it, Alexa owners must say: 'Alexa, open Character.AI.'
The intelligent personal assistant will then ask whether you would like to speak with assistants, famous people or play games.
If users choose to play a game, the AI will set up roleplay adventure games.
This software addition comes alongside two other Alexa AI skills that were introduced at the recent tech show, including Splash and Volley. Both of which are also available in the Amazon Alexa Skill Store.
Splash lets users create original songs using their voice, generating lyrics and style, giving anyone who's ever dreamt of a music career a shot at making their own tunes.
Whereas, Volley involves brain guessing games, one of which is very similar to '20 Questions'. Using generative AI, users are provided with hints and explanations, to help them guess the answer.