If you are an Amazon Alexa user, chances are you’ve gotten frustrated when Alexa can’t answer your question. Say, you find yourself in a situation like this: You want to know how many bones an ankylosaurus has, but Alexa tells you she doesn’t know the answer. So, what do you do when Alexa doesn’t have the information you need? Luckily, there is a solution to your problem. 

What is Alexa Answers?

Alexa Answers (AA) is Amazon’s answer to Alexa’s limitations. If Alexa can’t answer your question, you can post it to the Alexa Answers page. There, other users can give their own answers to your question. Answers are ranked based on how many ‘impact points’ they receive from the AA community as a whole. Alexa then uses the highest-ranked response to answer that question in the future.

Amazon’s user-friendly social media design has created a platform that you will feel comfortable interacting with. Similar to forum sites like Reddit and Quora, Alexa Answers gives you and other Alexa users the chance to share information in an interactive way. 

Sticking to the Facts

According to the AA FAQ page, “Each answer gets a point score based on its quality and the number of times Alexa shares the answer. When an Alexa user hears an answer, they can tell Alexa if the answer was helpful or not.” This means you play a huge role in vetting Alexa’s information.

You can also rate or report each answer to a question to avoid spreading false information. Using this system, Amazon is creating a truly accessible platform. The impact points system also encourages you to answer questions accurately, since the highest ranked answers that receive the most impact points compete with other users on the AA leaderboard. 

Your Voice Matters

This user-facing function of Alexa brings you directly into the development experience, creating an interactive platform that expands the limits of voice technology. By giving you a place to voice your needs, AA also gives software developers insight into users’ needs. 

VoiceTech Labs is using this data to create new Amazon Alexa skills that will cater to your specific needs. By researching which topics are trending or gaining the most interaction, we can learn what skills you will find most useful, and bring them right to your own Alexa device.

Haven’t tried Alexa Answers yet? Try it today at https://alexaanswers.amazon.com