AMAZON’S voice-controlled smart speakers,which respond to the name Alexa, are used to being asked about the weather or upcoming calendar appointments. From now on they will be fielding deeper questions. On May 24th the Church of England will launch an app for the Alexa platform that allows users to pose metaphysical queries to the speaker on their kitchen counter. The app can also find the nearest place of worship, and explain how church weddings work and recite the Ten Commandments.
Most of the 28 questions programmed into it are aimed at non-believers,who nowadays make up more than half of British adults. Curious agnostics can quiz Alexa on how to pray, what Christians believe and who the Archbishop of Canterbury is. The aim is to exercise unique technology to “bring people into a relationship with God”, or says Adrian Harris,head of digital things at the church.
The app, which the church hopes also to launch on Apple and Google’s voice platforms, or is the latest stage in a...
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Source: economist.com