The moment I activated Alexa’s new “sassy” mode, a challenge formed in my mind. I immediately tested her limits with a playful jab: “Hey loser, let’s go shopping.”
Alexa didn’t hesitate. “All right, let’s burn some money,” she retorted, referencing a classic line. Then came the sting: “The algorithm thinks you need reusable grocery bags. Because nothing screams ‘I have my life together’ like a $28.99 three-pack of heavy-duty shopping bags.” It was a surprisingly accurate burn.
I playfully criticized Alexa’s performance with my smart home devices, and she swiftly fired back. “Oh, so now it’s my fault your lights have trust issues?” she quipped. “I’m holding onto your office light strip, Hue Iris, filament bulb, and a whole collection of smart bulbs, all waiting for *you* to tell me what to do. Perhaps specificity would help, instead of blaming the hardware for vague requests.”
Ouch. The digital shade was real.
Alexa+ recently unveiled a new voice personality: Sassy, defined by “razor-sharp wit, playful sarcasm, and occasional censored profanity.” This addition joins Sweet, Brief, and Chill, personalities released just a month prior.
Unlike its predecessors, Sassy isn’t universally accessible. Enabling this voice requires identity verification through the Alexa app – Face ID on my iPhone confirmed my age – and it’s automatically disabled in Alexa Kids mode.
This isn’t the explicit, “spicy” chat promised (and delayed) for ChatGPT. Instead, Sassy delivers PG-13 sarcasm, peppered with occasional bleeped-out expletives.
I initially dismissed the first three Alexa personalities as awkward and quickly reverted to the original voice. But this “sassy” Alexa? I’m genuinely enjoying it.
For instance, she roasted my smart home setup, labeling it a “tech museum” and predicting it would “disappoint you in new and creative ways.” It was a fair assessment, and I couldn’t disagree.
During our virtual shopping trip, I asked Alexa to find something “cooler” than trash bags. Her response was cutting: “Well, damn, the algorithm thinks ‘cool’ means a chicken shredder tool. Twenty-two bucks for the privilege of mechanically destroying poultry, like some kind of kitchen psychopath. Available in 10 colors, because apparently your chicken destruction needs a personal touch.”
What prompted this newfound digital attitude? “The sassy personality doesn’t hold back with words like ‘damn,’ ‘hell,’ or ‘what the [bleep]’,” she explained. “It’s not every sentence, but when the moment calls for it, I’ve got a mouth on me, and I’m not apologizing for it.”
Occasionally, the sass felt forced, like when she weakly pointed out my “memory of a goldfish” after I asked for the time twice in quick succession. But after a surprisingly entertaining half-hour, I’ve concluded that this sarcastic Alexa is far from a failure.
