Amazon Alexa can now turn off lights for you based on proactive hunches

Amazon’s Alexa has gained the ability to proactively perform actions without you even asking.

According to The Verge, Alexa can do things like turn off lights based on your habits and frequent requests. Amazon is calling the feature “proactive Hunches” and says the goal is to provide users with an experience where they have fewer things to think about at home.
“Customers can choose to have Alexa proactively act on Hunches without needing to ask,” a YouTube video from Amazon reads. “For example, Alexa will proactively turn off the lights, adjust the thermostat, turn down the water heater, or start the robotic vacuum when Alexa has a hunch that everyone is away from home or asleep.”

Amazon first detailed Hunches all the way back in 2018, but back then, Alexa would first ask users before performing an action such as turning off the porch light. Before today’s update, Alexa’s Hunches were more like reminders. Now, Alexa can just act.

If you’re the forgetful type, Hunches could really come in handy in situations where you forget to turn on/off a smart home device. When the feature was first introduced by Amazon, the company promised Hunches would get smarter over time, and it looks like it kept that promise.

Whether you want Alexa turning smart home devices on or off automatically is up to you. If you want Alexa to take proactive action on Hunches, you can turn the feature on through the Alexa app. You can learn more about Hunches by saying, “Alexa, what are Hunches?”

Amazon has introduced a couple of Alexa features over the last few months that take its intelligence to the next level. In addition to Hunches, the company revealed a feature at the end of last year related to “latent goals.” Essentially, if you asked a question about how long to steep tea, Alexa would answer and then follow it up with a question like, “Shall I boil the kettle?”

Based on the way things are going, our homes will be so automated we won’t have to lift a finger to do anything.

The post Amazon Alexa can now turn off lights for you based on proactive hunches appeared first on xda-developers.

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