Alexa's emotional responses can be customized to some extent, but this customization is primarily available to developers rather than end-users. Developers can use Amazon's Neural Text-to-Speech (NTTS) technology to create skills that incorporate emotional responses, such as happy/excited or sad/empathetic tones, with varying levels of intensity (low, medium, high)[1][7]. These emotional responses are particularly useful in skills related to games and sports, where expressing excitement or empathy can enhance the user experience[1][7].
For end-users, customization options are more limited. Users can use the "Routines" feature in the Alexa app to create custom responses to specific voice commands, but this does not directly allow for emotional tone customization[8][9]. Instead, users can input custom phrases for Alexa to say in response to certain triggers, which can be up to 250 characters long[9]. However, these custom responses do not inherently include emotional tones like excitement or empathy.
Amazon has expanded Alexa's emotional range and speaking styles to include new accents and languages, which developers can leverage to create more personalized experiences[4]. However, these features are not directly customizable by users for their personal use. The closest users can get to customizing emotional responses is by using third-party skills that developers have created with these emotional capabilities.
In summary, while users cannot directly customize Alexa's emotional responses, developers can create skills that incorporate emotional tones, and users can use the Routines feature to create custom responses, albeit without emotional tone options.
Citations:[1] https://voicebot.ai/2019/11/27/alexa-is-learning-to-speak-emotionally/
[2] https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/blogs/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/2020/11/alexa-speaking-styles-emotions-now-available-additional-languages
[3] https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/docs/alexa/custom-skills/add-personalization-to-your-skill.html
[4] https://voicebot.ai/2020/11/24/alexa-expands-emotion-and-speaking-style-options-to-new-accents-and-languages/
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFVIZ-Tynp8
[6] https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/alexa-release-date-cost-devices-and-all-the-new-ai-features
[7] https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/blogs/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/2019/11/new-alexa-emotions-and-speaking-styles
[8] https://uk.amazonforum.com/s/question/0D56Q0000BBmVQ6SQN/changing-alexa-responses?language=en_US
[9] https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/smart-home/how-to-customize-alexas-responses-to-routines/