With artifical intelligence (AI) a dominant theme at this 12 months’s CES, Amazon has unveiled three new Alexa abilities that each one include a hefty serving to of AI. Now accessible to all Echo and Alexa customers, the three abilities are freely obtainable via the Alexa app in addition to via the Alexa Skills website.
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First on the record is a ability known as Character.AI. Designed by the builders behind the Character.AI website, this ability enables you to chat with a spread of various chatbots. You may discuss to historic figures, reminiscent of Socrates or Albert Einstein, and interact in conversations about philosophy or physics.
You can even use Character.AI to talk with journey planners, courting coaches, health coaches, and different helpers to get assist and recommendation. And for leisure, you possibly can discover AI-driven alternate timelines or assist an AI escape from a harrowing scenario.
To make use of the ability, simply say: “Alexa, open Character.AI.” Alexa then asks whether or not you want to talk with assistants, helpers, well-known individuals, or have enjoyable and video games. Make your selection, and Alexa lists among the completely different characters ready to talk with you.
I opted to converse with Grace Hopper, the well-known pc scientist and mathematician. I naturally requested her if it was true that the time period “bug” was created after she found a moth in her log e book. However she set me straight by explaining that the story concerning the moth is a fable and the time period bug was really devised lengthy earlier than she discovered an actual one.
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Subsequent on the record is a ability known as Splash, which makes use of AI to create a music primarily based in your description. With this one, you possibly can inform Alexa to create any kind of music or specify the style of music you need. After taking part in a brief excerpt, Alexa asks if you wish to make any adjustments, reminiscent of including lyrics. If you happen to just like the tune, you possibly can then inform Alexa to ship it to your telephone for playback.
To make use of the ability to generate any kind of music, say: “Alexa, create a music with Splash Music.” To incorporate a style, say: “Alexa, open Splash Music,” and you will be requested what model you favor. For this one, I requested Splash to compose a music within the model of jazz. The end result actually would not win any awards on the subsequent Grammys, but it surely confirmed promise.
Lastly, the third ability is called Volley Games, an AI-driven spin on the same old 20 questions recreation. On this one, a pleasant AI host challenges you to guess an object by asking the appropriate ‘sure’ or ‘no’ questions. After supplying you with the class, you are prompted to ask every query till you hopefully guess the thriller merchandise. Alongside the best way, you possibly can ask for hints if you happen to’re stumped.
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To do that one, say: “Alexa, open Volley Video games.” Your AI host reveals the class after which asks to your first query. In my case, I used to be given a class of family objects. After guessing that the item was one thing within the kitchen, I used to be stumped for some time, till lastly I discovered that the reply was spatula.
The three new abilities have been all cooked up by builders utilizing new tools introduced by Amazon last September. The instruments are designed to extra simply combine generative AI into Alexa abilities, permitting customers to interact in conversations and entry real-time information. Different talents touted by Amazon on the time included reserving reservations at a restaurant and getting a abstract of a trending information story.