If you find yourself getting audibly frustrated with your Amazon Echo, imagine Alexa asking you questions like "Are you displeased with me?" or "Am I doing something wrong?" and then try to figure out whether that would make you more or less frustrated. (We think more, but maybe that’s just us.) Amazon is currently working on improvements to the Echo that would allow Alexa to recognize users’ emotions and, while it’s unclear exactly what it would use that information for, it at least seems more useful than being able to read peoples’ emotions while they are buying pizza. And, of course, it’s another great way to confuse children into thinking that robots are people.
• Amazon Working on Making Alexa Recognize Your Emotions [MIT Technology Review]