Alexa speakers bursting into laughter all of a sudden is driving the creeps out of its users. While people have no doubt been taken aback by the unexpected behavior of the Alexa devices, Amazon has said they have taken cognizance of the development and are working on a fix already.
Amazon said a likely reason for the smart speakers to start laughing is that it might mistake other words for the phrase ‘Alexa, laugh’, which happens to be the command for the smart speaker to start laughing. As a way around, Amazon said they are changing that command to something more elaborate, like ‘ Alexa, can you laugh?’.
Alexa said the above is expected to have less ‘false positives’. Besides, Alexa’s immediate response to the above phrase – ‘Alexa, can you laugh’ is also undergoing a change. So instead of the speaker breaking into a laughter right away, Alexa will instead respond saying ‘Sure, I can laugh’, following by the device actually laughing after that.
https://twitter.com/vedantNAIK/status/970231970583195648
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
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Lying in bed about to fall asleep when Alexa on my Amazon Echo Dot lets out a very loud and creepy laugh… there’s a good chance I get murdered tonight.
— Gavin Hightower (@GavinHightower) February 26, 2018
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Amazon Echo Dot (newest model) - Vibrant sounding speaker, Designed for Alexa+, Great for bedrooms, dining rooms and offices, Glacier White
- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
Our @amazonecho just randomly started laughing. No one spoke to it. No one was even in the room with it. I’m out y’all.
— Lauren Hall (@LaurenHall_16) February 14, 2018
Amazon also said the above change is part of a new update which is already being rolled out. Current users, therefore, will do good to update their device to prevent it from laughing spontaneously. In fact, some users claimed Alexa is starting to laugh even if the device has not been asked to even wake up, or in response to some other command. For instance, some user said the speaker started laughing in response to something completely different, like asking the device to turn off lights.
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- Simple smart home control: Set routines, pair and control lights, locks, and thousands of smart home devices that work with Alexa without needing a separate smart home hub. With Omnisense technology, you can activate routines via temperature or presence detection.
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No wonder, people hearing the sound of strangers laughing within their home found it scary, more so for those living alone. Maybe these are the sort of things we need to be used to in the digital age. Perhaps these would fuel a new Hollywood horror flick someday as well, with ‘possessed’ smart gadgets conspiring to kill humans and such; or zombies collaborating with such smart connected gadgets – read IoT – to imbibe more humans into their clans.
Quick Recap
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- MEET ECHO SPOT - A sleek smart alarm clock with Alexa and big vibrant sound. Ready to help you wake up, wind down, and so much more.
- CUSTOMIZABLE SMART CLOCK - See time, weather, and song titles at a glance, control smart home devices, and more. Personalize your display with your favorite clock face and fun colors.
- BIG VIBRANT SOUND - Enjoy rich sound with clear vocals and deep bass. Just ask Alexa to play music, podcasts, and audiobooks. See song titles and touch to control your music.
- EASE INTO THE DAY - Set up an Alexa routine that gently wakes you with music and gradual light. Glance at the time, check reminders, or ask Alexa for weather updates.
- KEEP YOUR HOME COMFORTABLE - Control compatible smart home devices. Just ask Alexa to turn on lights or touch the screen to dim. Create routines that use motion detection to turn down the thermostat as you head out or open the blinds when you walk into a room.
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
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