Alexa can now tell you the odds of the next big football game

By Patrick Hearn September 18, 2018

Thanks to a new Alexa update, you no longer need to turn on ESPN to find out who won last night’s big game. In anticipation of football season, Amazon has begun to fill Alexa with knowledge of most of the major NFL teams. The smart assistant may have struggled to answer questions about the Seahawks, but it can now give you the odds on an upcoming game or tell you specifically how many yards Eli Manning has tossed a pigskin in his career.

Amazon determines the type of knowledge it needs to focus on based on input from users. According to Jason Semine, the principal product manager for sports information for Alexa, says that sports questions are among some of the most frequently asked. “Sports moments are very important to our customers. So this year we wanted to double-down in this area and see where else Alexa may be useful as it relates to sports,” Semine said.

Some of the recent updates to Alexa include:

The ability to answer sports-related trivia, questions about statistics, and information on injuries.
The ability to provide updates on team transactions and recent injuries.
The ability to give predictions on upcoming games.
The ability to give recaps of finished games.
The ability to give radio-style reports to fans.

Amazon plans to introduce even more information in the months to come, including data of interest to fantasy football fans.

Alexa currently pulls data from more than 50 sources for its sports information, but Semine says a lot of work is being done in-house to calibrate Alexa’s answers to give real-time answers. For example, if someone asks for the score of the Pittsburgh game, Alexa will soon be able to determine whether the person is asking about football, baseball, or another sport, and answer in kind.

This is just the start for Alexa. “Our long-term goal is for Alexa to understand and be able to answer all questions, in all forms, from anywhere in the world,” Semine says. If you have an Alexa at home, give it a shot. Ask who Alexa thinks will win an upcoming game between your favorite teams, what the spread is, or what player has the most touchdowns in history.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…

Smart Home

Alexa can now help assess whether you might have coronavirus

Echo Alexa

Amazon's Alexa assistant can now offer advice to users who are worried that they may have contracted coronavirus, officially called COVID-19. Amazon announced the update in a blog post on Thursday, saying the company "want[s] to do everything we can to support you during these unprecedented times."

The information provided by Alexa is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To access the information, you can ask, "Alexa, what do I do if I think I have COVID-19?" or "Alexa, what do I do if I think I have coronavirus?" Alexa will walk you through a series of questions about your symptoms and exposure, then tell you what your risk level is and advise what your next course of action should be.

Smart Home

Alexa can save your life by telling you if severe weather is coming

Alexa in a storm

Tornados, like the one that recently hit Nashville, Tennessee, can happen any time of year, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. They can also occur just about anywhere in the country. Early warning is important with an impending tornado, or any type of major weather event such as flooding, strong winds, and hail because it gives you time to take shelter. While you can get severe weather alerts through your phone with apps, Alexa has a new feature that may save lives as well.

Now you can get severe weather alerts from Alexa, which can be particularly useful if you tend to have your phone on silent while you sleep or work. To set up the feature say, “Alexa, tell me when there’s a severe weather alert.” The next time there is a local severe weather warning, Alexa will let you know. Don't worry, if you find you don't like the alerts, you can turn them off by simply saying, "Alexa, turn off severe weather alerts."

Smart Home

Lonely this Valentine’s Day? Alexa can help you feel better

lonely this valentines day alexa can help you feel better amazon echo dot plum on dresser

Valentine's Day doesn't need to be lonely this year. You have Alexa, and even though Amazon's virtual assistant isn't a real person, there are a lot of ways Alexa can help you through this February 14. Here are some things to try if you find yourself feeling down.

Link up, even when you're far apart
Seeing a friendly face is always a good way to boost your spirits. Even if you and your best friends, family member, or sweetheart are separated by miles or trapped at home with a cold, you can all still feel like you're in the same room, chatting it up by using your video-enabled Alexa device to make video calls. Though you'll get the best experience with an Echo Show, you and your loved one can use the Alexa app to make video calls, too. Just go to the app, tap on the person you want to contact and choose the video chatting option.
Use your imagination
If reading a trashy novel to give yourself vicariously the romance you need isn't your thing, then maybe try a game. The Alexa skill MyCrush by Is It Love? is a kind of mashup between the Sims video game crossed with a Choose Your Own Adventure book combined with a romance novel. All played out in your imagination, though, with a little help from Alexa. Using the skill, you go on dates with imaginary people and choose how the romance progresses.
Listen to a story
If there's nothing on TV and you're sitting around bemoaning your love life, have Alexa tell you a story to occupy your night. The Story Stream skill has stories in many different genres to suit your mood, including paranormal, thrillers, horror, Creepypasta, sci-fi and comedy.
Do something for someone
Sometimes helping someone else can boost your spirits like nothing else. You can show a little love to someone in need this Valentine's Day with the help of the Daily Kindness skill. It gives 50 different suggestions on how you can randomly help a person around you.
Share the love
Even if you don't have a romantic love, it doesn't mean you can't share love this Valentine's Day. The Share Worldwide skill is basically an audio message board. You can listen to the message the last person left and leave your own for others to hear. It's a great way to spread kindness and uplifting messages between strangers anonymously. It's a little connection that can make you, and others, feel good, no matter what day it is.