AliceIt appears that Amazon’s Echo – and its ever-helpful voice assistant, Alexa – has a new fan (or perhaps a subtle celebrity endorsement) in actor Ashton Kutcher.
The actor is known for his interest in technology having reportedly invested in a day and date movie service, Prima Cinema for his home that he shares with wife Mila Kunis.
Ashton also co-founded venture capital firm, A-Grade Investments in 2010, which invests in technology start-up companies. The firm’s investments tend to be consumer-focused businesses that change the way consumers share information, or shake up traditional marketplaces. Among its portfolio companies, A-Grade has invested in Spotify, Uber, Shazam, Couple, Soundcloud and Airbnb.
The That 70s Show star posted a video on his @aplusk Instagram account this week, accompanied by the caption “Thank you Amazon for tricking out the house with Alexa. Truth…It’s extremely useful!”
“This Alexa thing is for real,” he says in the short video. “Meet Alexa. It’s basically a KITT car for your house – for all you Knight Rider fans, you know what I’m talking about.”
He is of course referring to 80s TV show, Knight Rider starring David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a high-tech crime fighter assisted by KITT, an advanced, artificially intelligent, self-aware – and nearly indestructible – car.
KITT was an artificially intelligent electronic computer module within the body of a highly advanced, robotic 1982 Pontiac Trans Am, voiced by William Daniels.
Referring to Alexa’s ability to perform a seemingly endless array of tasks, Ashton mimics the voice of the voice assistant: “Hello Ashton, your wish is my command. Whatever you need, I’ll take care of it. You know that’s true.”
After the actor suggests that ‘Alexa’ is getting “a little frisky – a little weird for me,” he fills in for the voice assistant again: “Why’s it weird Ashton? I read you the news, I turn your lights on and off – I virtually do it all.”
At this point, Ashton wakes the real Alexa by using the trigger word.
“Sorry, it looks like I didn’t hear you correctly, please try again,” says Alexa.
“Alexa keeping it real,” he laughs.
Alexa Heading To The UK?
Amazon’s Echo has yet to make it across the pond to England, although a development this week hints that perhaps the company is preparing for just this: It is reported that scientists in Cambridge are developing a version of the voice-controlled wireless speaker that is better at understanding users on this side of the Atlantic.
“We want it to understand any question a customer might ask,” ‘someone close to the company’ said after being asked if the device is being tailored to the British.
That’s not the only Echo rumour circling the web this week, as multiple sources have reported that Amazon could be launching an Echo-exclusive music service.
According to Recode, Amazon is looking into launching a $5-a-month standalone music service similar to Spotify and Apple Music this September that will only work with its Alexa-powered Echo speakers – and with no adverts.
Amazon’s Echo speakers can already play music from various sources, including Spotify, Pandora and its very own Prime Music.