News

Amazon Alexa Has Now Been Upgraded With Generative AI

The famous voice assistant can adjust its tone and express emotions including excitement and surprise.

Published

3 years ago

September 22, 2023

amazon alexa has now been upgraded with generative ai

Amazon has announced an AI upgrade for Alexa that will make the voice assistant even more helpful. “Our latest model has been specifically optimized for voice and the things we know our customers love — like having access to real-time information, efficiently controlling their smart home, and getting the most out of their home entertainment,” explained Dave Limp, SVP of devices and services at Amazon.

The new generative AI model can also adjust its tone and responses, losing the robotic voice and expressing more realistic emotions like excitement, laughter, and surprise.

“The capabilities deliver unique experiences based on the preferences that you’ve shared, the services that you’ve interacted with, and the information about the environment in and around your home,” says Limp. “The new model will allow you to surface personal reminders. For example, it can help you with recently played music or even come up with recipe recommendations based on your grocery purchases”.

Also Read: Google Is Developing An AI Cancer-Spotting Microscope

In addition to the AI upgrade, Alexa now has the ability to continue conversations without the user saying “Alexa”. Overall, the latest upgrade should offer a richer, more convincing experience combined with improved functionality.

Related Topics:Amazon Artificial Intelligence

Up Next

ConFex Saudi Arabia To Take Place On October 23rd & 24th

Don't Miss

A Floating Drone Is Helping To Clean Up Dubai Harbor’s Waters

Click to comment

News

YouTube Rolls Out Supervised Children’s Accounts Across MENA

An industry-first feed timer lets parents cap Shorts scrolling. Access can also be switched off entirely ahead of exam season.

Published

11 hours ago

July 10, 2026

Dana Saadeh

YouTube

YouTube has launched supervised kid accounts across the Middle East and North Africa, giving parents a way to hand their children the main YouTube app without handing over all of it. Announced in Dubai on July 2, the accounts are built directly into the platform rather than the standalone YouTube Kids app, and are aimed at families who feel a child has outgrown the curated library but isn’t ready for the open feed.

Parents can choose from three content settings, each broadly aligned with international content ratings. Explore covers educational videos, tutorials, arts and crafts, and dance. Explore More adds gaming and live streams. Most of YouTube opens up almost everything except videos rated 18+ or deemed inappropriate for supervised accounts.

The standout tool is an industry-first Shorts feed timer, which lets parents set daily limits on short-form scrolling. Set it to zero and Shorts disappears altogether – a lever YouTube suggests parents might pull ahead of exam season. Other protections are on by default for all users under 18: “Take a Break” and “Bedtime” reminders, no personalized ad targeting, autoplay switched off, and no ability to upload videos or write comments. The accounts are optional, and parents can end supervision at any time.

The kid accounts join supervised teen accounts already available across the region, which notify parents by email when a teenager uploads a video or starts a live stream.

“YouTube has been a huge part of families’ lives across this region for over 20 years,” said Javid Aslanov, head of YouTube Middle East and North Africa, citing Kantar research showing 95% of viewers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE agree YouTube has top content in education and learning.

Also Read: Tamper With The Recording LED & Meta’s Glasses Kill Camera

“It’s essential that we protect young people in – not from – the digital world,” added Garth Graham, YouTube’s head of health.

The new settings are rolling out gradually across the MENA, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Iraq. The latest features can be set up through Family Center in the YouTube app or via Google Family Link.