Several people who own Amazon's Echo speakers have reported a strange bug: the Alexa voice assistant has been laughing for no reason. Some users on Twitter and Reddit say the outbursts have been entirely spontaneous. Others have said that Alexa has laughed after being asked to turn on the lights -- and may have misheard the command. "Having an office conversation about pretty confidential stuff and Alexa just laughed," Twitter user @DavidSven wrote recently. "Anybody else ever have that? It didn't chime as if we had accidentally triggered her to wake. Said another Twitter user, @taylorkatelynne: "[So] my mom & I are just sitting in the living room, neither of us said a word & our Alexa lit up and laughed for no reason.

Users of Amazon's popular artificial intelligence-powered personal assistant Alexa have been reporting instances of the voice assistant laughing without being prompted, leading Amazon to search for a fix for the issue. In a statement provided to the Verge, a representative for Amazon said the company is "aware" of the problem and is "working to fix it." Reports of the issue on social media date back as far as Feb. 22. Amazon is working on a fix to make Alexa stop laughing without being prompted. According to user reports online, Alexa appears to be laughing without being prompted. While Alexa can laugh on command, the laugh that occurs on its own is apparently much creepier and closer to a cackle than the playful giggle that Alexa performs when asked.

The robot wars are coming, and Alexa will have the last laugh. Amazon acknowledged on Wednesday that some of its Alexa-enabled devices have developed a new skill: creeping out their owners with unexpected and unwarranted bursts of robotic laughter. "We're aware of this and working to fix it," the company told The Verge Wednesday. People began reporting the problem with their "smart" speakers on social media in recent weeks. "So my mom & I are just sitting in the living room, neither of us said a word & our Alexa lit up and laughed for no reason," tweeted one woman, Taylor Wade, on 5 March.

There is a lot you can do with Alexa. Here's how you can add skills. Amazon wants to use Echo and Alexa to control your whole home. SAN FRANCISCO -- Alexa, Amazon's digital assistant, is busting out with a weirdly creepy laugh at random intervals for some users and no one knows why. Posting on Twitter, Alexa users have described the laugh as "creepy," "evil," "bone-chilling" and "freaky."

Google is allowing UK users to make phone calls to mobile numbers and landlines on its Home smart speakers, free of charge. Itw Home and Home Mini smart speakers will be able to place hand-free calls to ordinary UK numbers using Wi-Fi. The latest update will be rolled out across the UK this week. Users in the US have been able to make phone calls using the device since August last year. Google Home users will soon be able to make phone calls to mobile numbers and landlines, free of charge.

Nearly nine in 10 Americans (85%) say they currently use at least one of six devices, programs or services that feature elements of artificial intelligence (AI). These data come from a Northeastern University/Gallup survey of Americans' attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) and its effect on their lives and work. The mail survey of 3,297 U.S. adults was conducted Sept. 15-Oct. The study found 79% of Americans saying AI has had a very or mostly positive impact on their lives so far. The percentage of Americans using different consumer AI products may be at least partly related to the length of time these products have been on the market.

It turns out that Amazon's Alexa does indeed think something is funny. After days of reports that users of the Amazon Echo and other devices with Amazon's Alexa voice-activated assistant were experiencing random Alexa laughing fits, Amazon confirmed the problem Wednesday. "We're aware of this and working to fix it," an Amazon spokesperson told The Verge. Reports of the laughing Alexas first surfaced last month when one Twitter user reported on an Echo Dot that randomly started laughing without being prompted. Another Twitter user said an Echo whistled without prompting.

"Alexa, make the rain go away." If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. However, our picks and opinions are independent from USA TODAY's newsroom and any business incentives. No matter where in the country you live, chances are you get hit with severe weather every once in a while. In New England, it's nasty Nor'Easters and blizzards, while tornadoes are a greater threat in the Midwest and South.

Do you thrive on Outlook email, but wish you didn't have to stare at your PC or phone to catch new messages? You don't have to... if you have the right devices. Microsoft's Cortana assistant now lets you check for new Outlook emails using your voice if you're using Windows 10 or a Harman Kardon Invoke speaker and have set your language to US English. If you've used similar features with voice assistants like Siri, it behaves in a similar way: you can ask if there are new messages, get a summary of what's new and (most importantly) offer a short reply if it makes sense.

It's no longer surprising when Amazon does something well. Amazon does all of this, and does it very well. Yet even Amazon is surprised by the success of Alexa, its voice-enabled personal assistant. "We are very happy with the results of Alexa," Amazon chief financial officer Brian Olsavsky told investors Feb. 1, after the company reported 2017 fourth-quarter and full-year results. Alexa, Olsavsky continued, has had "record device sales with very high levels of customer engagement."