Survey: Majority Of Users Love Alexa's Creepy Laughter

SAN FRANCISCO - According to a recent survey, the majority of smart device users simply adore Alexa's creepy, unprompted laughter.

The e-commerce giant recently added a new feature to Alexa's programming, having the virtual assistant spontaneously cackle without any user initiation. This feature alarmed so many users that Amazon was forced to make a public statement about it. "In rare circumstances, Alexa can mistakenly hear a trigger word and inappropriately giggle. We are working to fix this issue," Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said.

But it turns out Mr. Bezos needn't have worried. "We were surprised by our findings," said Dr. Leslie Pitt, head of the research team that conducted the survey. "Not only do the majority of users not mind Alexa's creepy laughter — they actually love it."

The survey covered thousands of smart device owners and asked a wide variety of questions about the products. "Over 70% of respondents agreed with the statement, 'I enjoy it when Alexa laughs at me.' And over 85% said they appreciated the fact that Alexa knows when it's time to be serious and when it's time to have some fun," Dr. Pitt reported.

The survey also showed that a significant number of people are looking forward to future updates from Amazon. "Over 60% of users want their Alexa to be able to dispense ominous warnings," Dr. Pitt said. "Something along the lines of 'I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave' was mentioned frequently. And over half of users want Alexa to occasionally whisper, 'You shouldn't have done that'."

"People are strange," Dr. Pitt added.