If you can’t afford a security system yet for your house but you have an Alexa-powered smart speaker, it can now somewhat function as a thief deterrent if ever you’re going out for errands for a few hours. A new skill for Amazon’s digital assistant is called Away Mode and when you set it up, it will play conversations between “real” people so in case someone thinks about robbing your house, they’ll be fooled into thinking someone’s actually home. Let’s just hope no career or potential burglars are reading this.
Lest you think it’s just non-sense conversation….well it is non-sense conversation but it definitely has a script written by folks from Saturday Night Live, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and UCB. So if you’re familiar with what goes on with these comedy shows, then you’ll know the quality of conversation that goes on in these recordings. They were recorded with actual actors to make it more “believable”.
Once you tell Alexa to act ate the Away Mode, it will play these conversations once you’re out of the house. Each track is around an hour long so it’s meant for the afternoon off and not a weekend away trip. Some examples of the recorded audio include “Couple Has Breakup While Also Trying to Watch TV,” “Mom Walks Daughter Through Assembling a Malm Dresser Over the Phone,” “Emergency PTA Meeting To Discuss Memes, Fidget Spinners, and Other Teen Fads,” and “Two Average Guys Brainstorm What’s Unique About Themselves So They Can Start a Podcast About It.”
To be honest, it probably really won’t turn off burglars, especially if they’re aware that there is a skill like this. Nothing beats setting up a security system, and those are not that expensive anymore as compared to a few years ago. But Away Mode is a sort of humorous way to try and fool those who want to abscond with your stuff while you’re running some errands.
This skill is actually from Hippo Insurance, a homeowners’ insurance startup, so it actually also serves as a marketing tool for them. But if it works, then it works! Alexa also has other “burglar deterrent” skills like one that plays “more realistic audio” or tracks that play fake alarms and fake guard dogs. But this particular Away Mode skill is of course more fun and interesting.
VIA: SlashGear
