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Amazon’s Alexa Will Soon Be Able to Detect How You Feel

By
Benjamin Snyder
Benjamin Snyder
Managing Editor
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By
Benjamin Snyder
Benjamin Snyder
Managing Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 13, 2016, 6:55 PM ET
Amazon Echo
Amazon EchoPhoto courtesy of Amazon

Amazon’s (AMZN) Alexa may be getting a lot more intelligent in the future.

The MIT Technology Review reported that the virtual assistant could one day recognize how a user feels based on the tone of the person’s voice. For instance, if the user needs to repeat a request, the product may be able to detect irritation and apologize.

Alexa, which is available via Amazon Echo, will reportedly get updated in order to stay ahead of its competition in the space (such as Apple’s Siri and Google’s recently unveiled Home), according to the report, which cites an unnamed source.

“How human affect is recognized and then reflected by [Alexa’s] voice will be a key area of [Amazon’s] R&D,” according to the source.
The publication also reported that there will be upcoming improvements to Alexa’s ability to hold a conversation and remember what a user has told it previously. This will then color conversations and interactions going forward.
“That’s one of the active areas,” the source told MIT. “It is super-vital for the conversation to be magical.”
Fortunediscussed Alexa’s recent updates, including that it now has over 1,000 skills. Earlier this year, Amazon said Alexa had about 100 skills.
Fortune has reached out to Amazon for comment and we will update this story if we hear back.
About the Author
By Benjamin SnyderManaging Editor
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Benjamin Snyder is Fortune's managing editor, leading operations for the newsroom.

Prior to rejoining Fortune, he was a managing editor at Business Insider and has worked as an editor for Bloomberg, LinkedIn and CNBC, covering leadership stories, sports business, careers and business news. He started his career as a breaking news reporter at Fortune in 2014.

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