Amazon, the e-commerce and tech giant, has announced a new feature for its digital assistant Alexa that aims to provide kids with interactive and educational conversations powered by generative AI. The feature, called Explore with Alexa, is part of the Amazon Kids+ monthly subscription and is available on any Amazon Echo device with a child profile.
What is Explore with Alexa?
Explore with Alexa is a feature that allows kids to ask Alexa questions about animals and nature, and get personalized and age-appropriate responses. The feature uses generative AI, which is a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content from existing data, such as text, images, or audio.
According to Amazon, Explore with Alexa leverages Alexa’s large language model (LLM) technology, which is a neural network that can process natural language and generate coherent and relevant text. The LLM can produce tens of thousands of potential responses to kids’ queries, based on trusted content from partners like the World Wildlife Fund and A-Z animals.
How does Explore with Alexa work?
To use Explore with Alexa, kids simply need to say “Alexa, explore” and then ask a question about an animal or a natural topic. For example, they can ask “Alexa, explore tigers” or “Alexa, explore volcanoes”. Alexa will then respond with fun facts and trivia questions that are tailored to the child’s age and interests.
For instance, if a child asks “Alexa, explore pandas”, they might hear something like this:
Pandas are black and white bears that live in China. They are very cute and cuddly, but also very strong. They can weigh up to 150 kilograms, which is as much as two adult humans. Pandas love to eat bamboo, which is a type of grass. They can eat up to 12 kilograms of bamboo every day. That’s like eating 120 apples. Do you want to hear a trivia question about pandas?
If the child says yes, Alexa will then ask a question like this:
How many hours do pandas sleep every day? Is it A) four hours, B) eight hours, or C) twelve hours?
The child can then answer by saying the letter or the number of the option. If they answer correctly, Alexa will praise them and give them more information. If they answer incorrectly, Alexa will gently correct them and explain the right answer.
Why did Amazon create Explore with Alexa?
Amazon said that it created Explore with Alexa to help kids learn more about the world around them in a fun and engaging way. The company also said that it wanted to leverage its advantage of having Alexa in millions of homes and devices, and offer a unique experience that is different from other AI applications that are mainly focused on computers and phones.
Amazon also said that it wanted to be careful and intentional with how it introduced generative AI to kids, as this technology can sometimes produce inaccurate or inappropriate answers. To ensure the safety and quality of the content, Amazon said that it used both human and AI reviewers to check the responses generated by the LLM offline, before putting them into the experience. The company also said that it limited the scope of the feature to only include kid-friendly fun facts and trivia questions for now, but it plans to expand it to other topics in the future.
How can parents control Explore with Alexa?
Parents can control Explore with Alexa through the Amazon Parent Dashboard, which is a web portal that allows them to manage their child’s profile and settings on Amazon devices and services. Parents can turn on or off Explore with Alexa for their child’s profile, as well as set time limits, filter explicit content, review activity history, and more.
Parents can also use the Parent Dashboard to access educational resources and tips from experts on how to use Explore with Alexa with their kids. For example, parents can learn how to encourage their kids to ask open-ended questions, follow their curiosity, and have meaningful conversations with Alexa.
