<p>Amazon will soon roll out a feature that will give its users the liberty to customise&nbsp;Alexa,&nbsp;the company’s voice assistant, to mimic the voice of their families and friends who are no longer alive—a move that has been slammed by the netizens.</p>

<p>During a press conference held on Wednesday (June 22) in Las Vegas, senior vice president Rohit Prasad said, “The goal is to make the memories last&nbsp;after so many of us have lost someone we love&nbsp;during the pandemic.”</p>

<p>At the conference, the company presented its plans for companionship with Alexa. However, the company has not revealed when such a feature will release, reports&nbsp;Reuters.</p>

<p>A video clip was shown in which a young child said, “Alexa, can grandma finish reading me the Wizard of Oz?” After a pause, Alexa confirmed the order and raise her voice a few seconds afterwards. She talked in a more calming, less robotic voice, pretending to sound like the child’s actual grandmother.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/designer-virtual-clothes-for-real-money-meta-is-launching-avatar-fashion-store-489654">Designer virtual clothes for real money? Meta is launching avatar fashion store</a></strong></p>

<p>According to Prasad, the firm wants Alexa to have the capacity to adjust to its users’ situations without much outside assistance.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He added, “Not to be confused with the all-knowing, all-capable, uber artificial general intelligence,” or what is pursued by Elon Musk’s cofounded OpenAI or Alphabet’s DeepMind unit.</p>

<p>However, many users took to Twitter to express displeasure over the new feature, saying that&nbsp;it can be used for scams or to create false narratives about people through deepfakes.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The FUCK you will.<br />
<br />
Remember when we told you deepfakes would increase the mistrust, alienation, &amp; epistemic crisis already underway in this culture? Yeah that. That times a LOT.<br />
<br />
"Amazon has a plan to make Alexa mimic anyone's voice [w/o their consent]"<a href="https://t.co/kXm4EXKgp8">https://t.co/kXm4EXKgp8</a></p>
— Damien P. Williams, MA, MSc, ABD, Patternist (@Wolven) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wolven/status/1539745995990384642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The phone attacking implications of this tool are not good at all — this will likely be used for impersonation.<br />
At Amazon’s re:MARS conference they announced they’re working to use short audio clips of a person’s voice &amp; reprogram it for longer speech<a href="https://t.co/5TkEIHoeXG">https://t.co/5TkEIHoeXG</a></p>
— Rachel Tobac (@RachelTobac) <a href="https://twitter.com/RachelTobac/status/1539751386102919168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">"ALEXA, PLAY DESPACITO"<br />
<br />
My dead grandma's voice, robotic: "Now playing on Amazon Music, Despacito" <a href="https://t.co/D6BLQCafzj">https://t.co/D6BLQCafzj</a></p>
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) <a href="https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1539743618503770117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;UK researchers develop robot skin that can sense pain, touch</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/uk-researchers-develop-robot-skin-that-can-sense-pain-touch-489689/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-meta-removes-a-large-number-of-groups-and-accounts-for-sharing-upskirting-images-490738">Facebook: Meta removes a large number of groups and accounts for sharing u</a>pskirting images</strong></p>

<p>Amazon hoped&nbsp;the project will help Alexa become ubiquitous in shoppers' lives.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>You can <strong>now write for wionews.com</strong> and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.</strong></p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Amazon will soon roll out a feature that will give its users the liberty to customise Alexa, the company’s voice assistant, to mimic the voice of their families and friends who are no longer alive—a move that has been slammed by the netizens.

Amazon will soon roll out a feature that will give its users the liberty to customise Alexa, the company’s voice assistant, to mimic the voice of their families and friends who are no longer alive—a move that has been slammed by the netizens. During a press conference held on Wednesday (June 22) in Las Vegas, senior vice president Rohit Prasad said, “The goal is to make the memories last after so many of us have lost someone we love during the pandemic.” At the conference, the company presented its plans for companionship with Alexa. However, the company has not revealed when such a feature will release, reports Reuters. A video clip was shown in which a young child said, “Alexa, can grandma finish reading me the Wizard of Oz?” After a pause, Alexa confirmed the order and raise her voice a few seconds afterwards. She talked in a more calming, less robotic voice, pretending to sound like the child’s actual grandmother. Also read | Designer virtual clothes for real money? Meta is launching avatar fashion store According to Prasad, the firm wants Alexa to have the capacity to adjust to its users’ situations without much outside assistance. He added, “Not to be confused with the all-knowing, all-capable, uber artificial general intelligence,” or what is pursued by Elon Musk’s cofounded OpenAI or Alphabet’s DeepMind unit. However, many users took to Twitter to express displeasure over the new feature, saying that it can be used for scams or to create false narratives about people through deepfakes. The FUCK you will. Remember when we told you deepfakes would increase the mistrust, alienation, & epistemic crisis already underway in this culture? Yeah that. That times a LOT. "Amazon has a plan to make Alexa mimic anyone's voice [w/o their consent]"https://t.co/kXm4EXKgp8 — Damien P. Williams, MA, MSc, ABD, Patternist (@Wolven) June 22, 2022 × The phone attacking implications of this tool are not good at all — this will likely be used for impersonation. At Amazon’s re:MARS conference they announced they’re working to use short audio clips of a person’s voice & reprogram it for longer speechhttps://t.co/5TkEIHoeXG — Rachel Tobac (@RachelTobac) June 22, 2022 × "ALEXA, PLAY DESPACITO" My dead grandma's voice, robotic: "Now playing on Amazon Music, Despacito" https://t.co/D6BLQCafzj — Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) June 22, 2022 × Watch | UK researchers develop robot skin that can sense pain, touch Also read | Facebook: Meta removes a large number of groups and accounts for sharing upskirting images Amazon hoped the project will help Alexa become ubiquitous in shoppers' lives. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. (With inputs from agencies)

Amazon’s Alexa may soon mimic anyone’s voice to ‘make memories last’

<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuidDfngv8nHlQsi" /><meta charset="utf-8" /></p>

<p>Though the tech giant Amazon,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hundreds-of-amazon-employees-criticize-firms-climate-stance-276875" target="_blank">after much pressure, admitted</a>&nbsp;that conversations recorded by virtual assistant Alexa and transcribed by humans were to check for accuracy and the information is made anonymous beforehand, Robert Frederick revealed that he always turns off his Alexa smart speaker during personal and particularly sensitive conversations.</p>

<p>Robert Frederick, a&nbsp;former manager at Amazon Web Services stated&nbsp;in an interview with BBC Panorama that&nbsp;'whoever owns, collects the data, if you have access to it, and rights to data, then you are king. It's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/amazon-offers-employees-10000-to-quit-launch-delivery-business-218463" target="_blank">all about the data</a>. Everything,'</p>

<p>Amazon has responded to the backlash from this laundering with an opt-out of annotation, affording customers the ability to delete recordings they do not want on the system.</p>

<p>Amazon Senior VP for&nbsp;Devices and Services Dave Limp issued a statement guaranteeing that recordings that are kept allow the system to recognise the user's voice easily over time. Ring doorbells from Amazon have also been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amazon-flipkart-challenge-new-indian-tax-on-online-sellers-280762" target="_blank">criticized for the way they utilise data</a>, particularly in supplying video evidence to law enforcement.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Amazon Alexa Plus (L), Amazon Ring (R)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0b4613ea-a7d9-4719-b3ac-e42a6e993727" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2827%29_9.jpg" /><br />
<em>[ Amazon's Alexa smart speaker (L); Amazon Ring's doorbell cameras (R) (Courtesy: AFP) ]</em></p>

<p>Having spent $840 million to buy the manufacturer, Amazon defended the product by saying that the doorbells "make it convenient to speak to and see whoever is at your front door." Police forces in the US and the UK have been beneficiaries of generous donations of the Amazon Ring doorbells, including Suffolk Constabulary who were given 1,000 units.</p>

<p>Ring cameras in the US are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/india-court-stalls-amazon-flipkart-antitrust-probes-report-280715" target="_blank">being used by Amazon</a>&nbsp;to create digital neighbourhood watch schemes with the help of an app called "Neighbours" where residents can share footage from the cameras. Access to the app's data has also been granted to more than 900 police forces, with permission from residents to have access to camera locations and footage.</p>

<p>Dave Limp stated that this was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/amazon-and-flipkart-to-quash-antitrust-investigation-legal-battles-to-follow-280047" target="_blank">not a marketing ploy</a>&nbsp;to exhibit the product as a surveillance device, but an effort to make the lives of Amazon's customers safer.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read</strong>:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amazons-slow-climate-action-defying-company-policy-over-300-employees-speak-out-277288" target="_blank">Amazon's slow climate action: Defying company policy, over 300 employees speak out</a></p>

<p>Concerns have been raised by the Government's Surveillance Camera Commissioner for England and Wales, Tony Porter. Responding to BBC Panorama, Porter&nbsp;warned that the introduction of Amazon's Neighbors app to the UK would "change from being community reassurance to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/jeff-bezos-amazon-win-tussle-against-trump-over-major-defence-contract-280612" target="_blank">a state form of surveillance</a>."</p>

<p>"This lays a foundation for a network that quite rightly and properly causes concerns for people that don't want to live in a society that is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/latest-world-news-coronavirus-prompts-sony-amazon-sony-and-ericsson-to-join-barcelona-mobile-congress-exodus-280030" target="_blank">enmeshed in surveillance</a>," he added.</p>

<p>"We could end up in a surveillance state and I don't know anybody that wants to live in a surveillance state," said Porter.</p>


Though the tech giant Amazon, after much pressure, admitted that conversations recorded by virtual assistant Alexa and transcribed by humans were to check for accuracy and the information is made anonymous beforehand, Robert Frederick revealed that he always turns off his Alexa smart speaker during personal and particularly sensitive conversations.

Though the tech giant Amazon, after much pressure, admitted that conversations recorded by virtual assistant Alexa and transcribed by humans were to check for accuracy and the information is made anonymous beforehand, Robert Frederick revealed that he always turns off his Alexa smart speaker during personal and particularly sensitive conversations. Robert Frederick, a former manager at Amazon Web Services stated in an interview with BBC Panorama that 'whoever owns, collects the data, if you have access to it, and rights to data, then you are king. It's all about the data. Everything,' Amazon has responded to the backlash from this laundering with an opt-out of annotation, affording customers the ability to delete recordings they do not want on the system. Amazon Senior VP for Devices and Services Dave Limp issued a statement guaranteeing that recordings that are kept allow the system to recognise the user's voice easily over time. Ring doorbells from Amazon have also been criticized for the way they utilise data, particularly in supplying video evidence to law enforcement. [ Amazon's Alexa smart speaker (L); Amazon Ring's doorbell cameras (R) (Courtesy: AFP) ] Having spent $840 million to buy the manufacturer, Amazon defended the product by saying that the doorbells "make it convenient to speak to and see whoever is at your front door." Police forces in the US and the UK have been beneficiaries of generous donations of the Amazon Ring doorbells, including Suffolk Constabulary who were given 1,000 units. Ring cameras in the US are being used by Amazon to create digital neighbourhood watch schemes with the help of an app called "Neighbours" where residents can share footage from the cameras. Access to the app's data has also been granted to more than 900 police forces, with permission from residents to have access to camera locations and footage. Dave Limp stated that this was not a marketing ploy to exhibit the product as a surveillance device, but an effort to make the lives of Amazon's customers safer. Also Read: Amazon's slow climate action: Defying company policy, over 300 employees speak out Concerns have been raised by the Government's Surveillance Camera Commissioner for England and Wales, Tony Porter. Responding to BBC Panorama, Porter warned that the introduction of Amazon's Neighbors app to the UK would "change from being community reassurance to a state form of surveillance." "This lays a foundation for a network that quite rightly and properly causes concerns for people that don't want to live in a society that is enmeshed in surveillance," he added. "We could end up in a surveillance state and I don't know anybody that wants to live in a surveillance state," said Porter.

Former Amazon executive says he turns off Alexa when he needs privacy

<p>Amazon is looking to fix the creepy laughing of its smart assistant device Alexa which has been offending&nbsp;and scaring customers for a while now.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The random laugh of the device is being experienced by several users.</p>

<p>Alexa users took to social media to find out whether there had been other &lsquo;victims&rsquo; of the device&#39;s creepy laugh.</p>

<p>And soon It was a bit like the #metoo moment.</p>

<p>The users of the Alexa assistant software have comically expressed their fears on Twitter.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Genuinely, whoever has hacked Alexa and is making her chuckle in a menacing manner at inappropriate moments is my hero. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlexaIsLaughing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AlexaIsLaughing</a></p>
&mdash; Kerry Smith (@angrydammum) <a href="https://twitter.com/angrydammum/status/971499116353216512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">So Alexa is laughing creepily and not obeying commands?<br />
<br />
What does Alexa think? She is my wife??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlexaIsLaughing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AlexaIsLaughing</a></p>
&mdash; Atul Khatri (@one_by_two) <a href="https://twitter.com/one_by_two/status/972007398486376449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Even <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlexaIsLaughing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AlexaIsLaughing</a> at the state of humanity. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlexaLaugh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AlexaLaugh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SkynetWarning?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SkynetWarning</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Alexa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Alexa</a></p>
&mdash; Mowgli (@Muumpy) <a href="https://twitter.com/Muumpy/status/971497485519785986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alexa has become sentient and Amazon are totally trying to cover it up <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlexaIsLaughing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AlexaIsLaughing</a></p>
&mdash; Jox (@yesjox) <a href="https://twitter.com/yesjox/status/972035632536014853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Even <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlexaIsLaughing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AlexaIsLaughing</a> at my savings....</p>
&mdash; Nobody (@thechilledbeer) <a href="https://twitter.com/thechilledbeer/status/972011885766823936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Entrepreneur and innovator Elon Musk even agreed in the twitter exchange on the development. Saying: &quot;every time Alexa laughs, an angel dies&quot;</p>

<p>The Tesla co-founder is among high profile figures who have called for vigilance to ensure artificial intelligence doesn&#39;t turn against humans.</p>

<p>Launched in 2014 by Amazon, the Alexa digital assistant has spread from the company&#39;s echo voice-commanded speakers to millions of devices, including cars.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Alexa is being modified to say &quot;sure, I can laugh,&quot; before cackling. But one Twitter user quipped&hellip; &quot;I unplugged Alexa and she&#39;s still laughing&quot;&nbsp;</p>


Amazon is looking to fix the creepy laughing of its smart assistant device Alexa

Amazon is looking to fix the creepy laughing of its smart assistant device Alexa which has been offending and scaring customers for a while now. The random laugh of the device is being experienced by several users. Alexa users took to social media to find out whether there had been other ‘victims’ of the device's creepy laugh. And soon It was a bit like the #metoo moment. The users of the Alexa assistant software have comically expressed their fears on Twitter. Genuinely, whoever has hacked Alexa and is making her chuckle in a menacing manner at inappropriate moments is my hero. #AlexaIsLaughing — Kerry Smith (@angrydammum) March 7, 2018 × So Alexa is laughing creepily and not obeying commands? What does Alexa think? She is my wife??#AlexaIsLaughing — Atul Khatri (@one_by_two) March 9, 2018 × Even #AlexaIsLaughing at the state of humanity. #AlexaLaugh #SkynetWarning #Alexa — Mowgli (@Muumpy) March 7, 2018 × Alexa has become sentient and Amazon are totally trying to cover it up #AlexaIsLaughing — Jox (@yesjox) March 9, 2018 × Even #AlexaIsLaughing at my savings.... — Nobody (@thechilledbeer) March 9, 2018 × Entrepreneur and innovator Elon Musk even agreed in the twitter exchange on the development. Saying: "every time Alexa laughs, an angel dies" The Tesla co-founder is among high profile figures who have called for vigilance to ensure artificial intelligence doesn't turn against humans. Launched in 2014 by Amazon, the Alexa digital assistant has spread from the company's echo voice-commanded speakers to millions of devices, including cars. Alexa is being modified to say "sure, I can laugh," before cackling. But one Twitter user quipped… "I unplugged Alexa and she's still laughing"

Amazon's smart assistant Alexa scaring users with 'creepy laugh'