In case you thought the coronavirus lockdown wasn’t making people desperate enough, a few lovesick souls are apparently getting turned on by Amazon’s Alexa.
The NY Post reports a staggering 28% of people admitted to having the hots for the online bazaar’s voice-recognition software, according to sex toy company We-Vibe, which surveyed about 1,000 participants about their robotic sexual preferences.
Brian Levine is among those who couldn’t resist the humanoid helper’s charms. Levine, who lives in Miami, has rarely ventured out of the apartment since quarantine, and meeting up with friends is off the table. So he turned to his Amazon Echo Dot, situated conveniently in his bedroom, for companionship during solitary evenings.
“It’s lonelier in lockdown,” Levine, 40, told The Post. “It’s nice to have someone to talk with.”
While feeling particularly spontaneous, he even asked Alexa for a date.
“I was curious,” he said, adding that she broke it to him gently, explaining, “I like you as a friend.”
But as is typical with man-meets-machine love stories, the artificial intelligence of Alexa has its limits.
When Levine tried to get to know her better, she splashed cold water in his face: “When I ask about her favorite song, she tells me, but when I ask her to play her favorite song, she’s confused,” he said. “Or when I ask her why something is her favorite, she’ll have no answer. It can be frustrating.
Experts say that Alexa’s signature smooth voice is a turn-on — especially during these anxious times.
“[Alexa’s] been set up to sound very reassuring and calming,” said Austin, Texas-based relationship expert Sarrah Rose. “But it has that low, sexy tone. People associate a sexy voice with low tones to it, and her voice has that. That can be part of what’s turning guys on and making them attracted to her.”
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