Alexa News and Reporting Coverage | WRAL

Can Siri or Alexa help with CPR?

(CNN) -- Voice assistants like Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa can help with things like the weather and recipes, but what about CPR?

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN

Amazon Alexa may soon mimic the voice of your deceased loved ones

Amazon has announced at a company conference that Alexa may soon be able to speak using the voice of a loved one - even if they're deceased.

Amazon Alexa can now mimic the voice of a deceased relative

According to the Alexa team, less than a minute of recorded audio of a person's voice is all that is needed for the feature to work.

NASA moon shot's virtual crew includes Amazon's Alexa, Cisco's WebEx

 NASA's Artemis 1 mission, slated for take off as soon as this March, aims to send an Orion spacecraft around the moon. The cabin will be largely empty, save for an a interactive tablet that has been dubbed "Callisto," which will sit propped up to face an astronaut mannequin. Callisto is essentially a touch-screen device that features reconfigured versions of Alexa, Amazon's voice assistant, and Cisco's teleconferencing platform WebEx.

Alexa's no-no: 10-year-old told to touch penny to exposed plug socket

"As soon as we became aware of this error, we quickly fixed it, and will continue to advance our systems to help prevent similar responses in the future," Amazon tells CNN.

Amazon Kids+ with thousands of kids' books, movies, games only $2.99 (reg. $27) for 3 months!

Get 3 months of Amazon Kids+ Family Plan including unlimited access for up to four children for only $2.99 (reg. $27.00) - that's 91% off! It offers thousands of kid-friendly books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, games and more.

SUPER toy and game deals for kids and adults today at Amazon!

Amazon dropped some super Black Friday deals Nov. 26 on toys and games for kids (all ages) and adults today including VTech, LeapFrog, Playskool, Sesame Street, PJ Masks, Baby Alive, Hape, Melissa & Doug, Star Wars, L.O.L. Surprise!, Hatchimals, FurReal, Baby Alive, Breyer Horses, Barbie, Hairdorables, Cry Babies, LCD Writing Tablet, Fire Kids Tablets, Cards Against Humanity, Pictionary Air Drawing Game, classic board games and many many more!

New Apple AirPods Pro now $159 (reg. $249) at Amazon!

The New Apple AirPods Pro set is on sale for $159 (reg. $249) at Amazon right now! This is an excellent price for this model!

Instant Pot 6 Qt 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker only $59.99 (reg. $119.99) at Amazon, Target & Kohl's!

The Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 Qt 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker is only $59.99 (reg. $119.99) at Amazon, Target & Kohl's! That's over 50% off!

Apple AirPods (2nd Gen) with Wired Charging Case only $109 (reg. $159) at Amazon

The Apple AirPods (2nd Generation) with Wired Charging Case is on sale and in stock for only $109 (reg. $159) at Amazon right now! Apple AirPods with Wireless Charging Case is on sale for $149.99 (reg. $199)!

REVLON One-Step Hair Dryer And Volumizer is $34.88 (reg. $59.99)

The REVLON One-Step Hair Dryer And Volumizer Hot Air Brush is now $34.88 (reg. $59.99) at Amazon right now!

Fire TV Sticks at Black Friday prices starting at $17.99 on Amazon!

Fire TV Sticks are on sale starting at $17.99 at Amazon! Many of these prices are at or below the Prime Day 2021 or Black Friday 2020 sales!

Echo Show 8 with Blink Mini Security Camera only $64.99 (55% off) at Amazon!

The Echo Show 8 with Blink Mini Indoor Smart Security Camera, 1080 HD with Motion Detection is on sale for $64.99 (reg. $144.98 - 55% off) at Amazon right now!

Melissa & Doug toys & puzzles on sale up to 52% off: Advent calendar, vet set, tacos, cupcakes, camp chair

Melissa & Doug playsets, toys, puzzles, puppets and more are on sale up to 52% off including a cupcake set, Christmas Tree Advent Calendar, party cake set, vet pet set, taco making set and more!

Amazon Black Friday details announced with sneak peek

Amazon has announced the details for their Black Friday event this year including a sneak peek at some of the top deals!

Buffalo Games Jigsaw Puzzles for adults and kids on sale starting at $6.00!

Buffalo Games Jigsaw Puzzles for adults and kids are on sale starting at only $6 at Amazon right now! You'll find multiple themes including nature, animals, castles, oceans, summertime, cities, fantasy, maps, floral, Star Wars, Pokeman and many more.

Echo Show 5 (1st Gen) with Sengled Bluetooth Smart Color Bulb only $39.99 (57% off)

The Echo Show 5 (1st Gen) with Sengled Bluetooth Smart Color Bulb Bundle is only $39.99 (reg. $94.98) at Amazon right now! The Echo Dot (3rd Gen) with bluetooth bulb is also on sale for only $24.99 (54% off)!

Amazon Devices up to 60% off: Fire TV Stick, Fire Tablets, Echo, Kindle!

Amazon has kicked off their Early Black Friday Deals sale with Amazon Devices up to 60% off including Fire TV Sticks, Fire Tablets, Echo, Kindle, Smart Bulbs, and more! Many of these prices are equal to or better than the Black Friday prices from last year!

Keurig K-Mini Coffee Maker only $49.99 at Amazon and Target

The Keurig K-Mini Coffee Maker Single Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Brewer is on sale for only $49.99 at Amazon and Target right now!

LEGO Advent Calendars for 2021 on sale starting at $24!

The popular LEGO Advent Calendars for 2021 are in stock on sale starting at $24 at Amazon right now including LEGO City, LEGO Friends, LEGO Marvel, LEGO Star Wars and more!

"Hey, Alexa!" Sweepstakes (Ended 10/8/21)

Enter to win an Amazon Echo Dot or Echo Show!

Is this Alexa?

An author says he searched through the works of various voice actresses until he stumbled upon one he says sounds just like "Alexa." The voice reportedly belongs to Colorado-based voice actress and singer Nina Rolle. Neither Amazon nor Rolle has confirmed the finding.

Talking Tech: Smart speakers can detect heart rhythms, study finds

Smart speakers like Alexa can detect heart rhythms, a new study finds.

Fact check: Did Cooper get a DUI? Alexa video fed false rumor

In a Facebook video, a woman asks her smart home device if North Carolina Gov. Cooper had been arrested. It responds: "Here's something I found on the web ... he's being held in the Stanly County jail." PolitiFact found no evidence Cooper was pulled over.

Paul Specht, PolitiFact reporter

Talking Tech: Amazon says Alexa can express emotion

Amazon announced this week that developers can have Alexa respond to questions with a happy or excited tone -- or a disappointed or empathetic tone.