Lesson 78 of 1234
Smart Speakers: How Alexa and Siri Work at Home
How do Alexa, Siri, and Google Home actually hear you and answer? Peek behind the magic.
Lesson map
What this lesson covers
Learning path
The main moves in order
- 1The Speaker That Listens
- 2voice assistants
- 3wake words
- 4smart home
Concept cluster
Terms to connect while reading
Section 1
The Speaker That Listens
Smart speakers are little AI helpers that wait for their name. Then they wake up, hear what you say, and answer back. Three big-name speakers are Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.
How it works (in 4 steps)
- 1It listens for the wake word (like "Hey Siri" or "Alexa")
- 2When it hears the word, it records what you say next
- 3It sends your voice to a big computer in the cloud
- 4The cloud computer thinks fast, then sends back an answer
Cool things they can do
- Set timers for cookies in the oven
- Tell jokes (some are pretty bad)
- Turn off lights without getting up
- Play your favorite song in 2 seconds
Key terms in this lesson
End-of-lesson quiz
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