Amazon has introduced two new features to Alexa: Voice Profiles to recognize and adapt to children, and a Reading Companion for kids.
Designed to accompany children aged between 6 and 9 to help them learn to read fluidly, and increase their love of the learning process Amazon is launching Reading Sidekick, a new feature on Alexa – available to Amazon Kids+ subscribers only.
Related | Microsoft Adds A ‘Kids Mode’ To Its Edge Browser
Reading Sidekick is activated with the “Alexa, let’s read!” voice command, upon which Alexa will prompt a child to choose the book or e-book they wish to read together. Alexa will take turns reading with the child when asked to, offer encouragement when they’re reading well, and provide support when the child is struggling with a word or a sentence.
The feature is being launched in tandem with a new Alexa Voice Profiles for Kids feature, which personalizes Alexa’s response through all Echo devices in the house. The feature enables Alexa to profile and recognize up to four kids in a household.
By knowing who activates it, Alexa will adequately adapt its behavior to the child, and apply the appropriate parental controls configured in its settings. These include filtering explicit music and limiting contacts the child can send messages to, as well as providing access to kids’ games, music, and skills to shape a kid-friendly response.
Alexa is still learning how to recognize and understand the natural language of children, as well as their unique way of asking questions and formulating sentences. For this reason, Amazon won’t only be storing voice recordings but will also be reviewing them manually.
Parents and guardians should take this into consideration before introducing the new feature in their home. However, Amazon offers the option to keep deleting each voice recording, either manually on the Parent Dashboard, or on voice-control request – or periodically, on an ongoing 3- or 18-month basis.
The new Alexa Voice Profiles for Kids and Reading Sidekick should now be available to all Amazon Kids+ subscribers across any Echo device.
You might also like
More from Other Platforms
Tech Companies Are Teaming Up To Free Us From Passwords
Apple, Google, and Microsoft are committing to expanded support for the FIDO standard to bring a passwordless future.
TikTok (Finally) Adds A Friends Tab
TikTok has finally added a friends tab, it replaces the Discover tab in the app’s bottom menu.Is TikTok becoming a …
YouTube Expands Offense Warnings To Desktop, Updates Payments System
New updates for creators! A dedicated payments account within AdSense, and warnings on potentially offensive text detected by AI.
How To Use Enhanced Tags On Instagram
Instagram has expanded its tagging options to allow creators to credit those who participated in creating content.
LinkedIn Publishes New Guide For Technology Marketers
LinkedIn Marketing's team has put together a resources toolkit specifically for technology marketers, filled with tips on how to generate …
Reddit Brings Back Creator Stats On Desktop
Three years after introducing and then revoking the feature, Reddit has now rolled out its Creator Stats dashboard to 90% …
WhatsApp May Soon Limit Message Forwarding To One Chat At A Time
A change spotted in WhatsApp beta limits the sharing of regular messages (not just frequently forwarded ones) with multiple chats.