Samuel L Jackson will be first celebrity voice of Alexa, Amazon has announced.
Along with a group of yet-to-be announced stars, Jackson will voice speech for the company's virtual assistant Alexa.
Amazon plans to charge 99c (Dh3.6) to download the celebrity voices.
The news was announced on Wednesday, September 25 at Amazon's hardware event in Seattle, USA.
Amazon is not the first company to employ celebrities to star as their voice-activated assistants. In April this year, singer John Legend was announced as a voice of Google Home. To hear the smooth tones of John Legend in your home, simply say, “Hey Google, talk like a legend,” to your Google Assistant-compatible devices.
Other stars we would like to hear voicing Alexa
David Attenborough
This seems like almost too obvious a choice, but the smooth calming tones of Sir David Attenborough would be welcome in most homes. The voice of many a nature documentary, Attenborough won a Creative Arts Emmy for his narration of of Netflix nature series, Our Planet earlier this month.
Tom Hanks
Another distinctive voice, Hanks was suggested for the role by Weekend editor, Katy Gillet, who said, "I want Tom Hanks to be the voice of Alexa! His, and Woody’s, voice is so nostalgic and comforting."
Oliva Colman
If you want your Alexa assistant to serve up some light relief, look no further than Olivia Colman. She could flit between classic Colman and the pursed accent she has perfected to play Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix's The Crown. If you need more convincing, just watch her Oscars acceptance speech, imagine hearing that wonderful voice in your home on a daily basis.
Ian McKellen
His grandfatherly tones would make any piece of information shared by the virtual assistant seem more like a soothing bedtime story. Plus, who wouldn’t want to have Gandalf read them their meetings for the day or recount the groceries they need to pick up?
Emma Thompson
The witty, wildly flamboyant dame of British acting would surely provide an impassioned performance in whatever news she was delivering. We’d expect plenty of ad-libbing, diverse tangents and advice that would seem more like the voice of a sage older sister floating through the house, rather than an AI programme.
Dwayne Johnson
Who doesn't love The Rock? The charismatic former wrestler-turn-actor is so motivating, just hearing his voice to tell me to go to the gym or finish working on something would definitely be the pep I need to get it done.
A quick scout around The National office offered up plenty more options, from Ellen DeGeneres to Chris Hemsworth, Morgan Freeman, and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Stone Cold Steve Austin; so it seems Amazon, there is no shortage in interest in celebrity Alexa voices.
