Home Gear We Are Living in the Future, Especially When Baby’s First Word Is “Alexa” by Shahrzad WarkentinOctober 25, 2018 Search more like this smart hometechnologygrowing upintelligencetabletinfantcatapplemarketdadplaylearncandidatefoundation Advertisement Trending Now News Disney+’s Prices Are Increasing—Unless You Want to Watch Ads Food & Drink General Mills Is Bringing Back 4 Classic Sugar Cereals That Your Mom Never Let You Eat Viral & Trending Cat Sneaks into Family Car & Joins Their Road Trip, Becomes Instant Celebrity Viral & Trending Weatherman Discovers His Map Is a Touchscreen and His Reaction Is So Pure Celeb & Entertainment Serena Williams Announces Retirement: ‘If I Were a Guy, I Wouldn’t Be Writing This’ Advertisement If your toddler calls for Alexa or Siri before they manage to say mommy or daddy, you’re not alone. Kids growing up with technology face a different world than the one we grew up in, as artificial intelligence becomes more ubiquitous through smart home devices.In a recent article, CNN Business Editor Samantha Murphy Kelly explained that the first few words her son understood included mom, dad, cat and…Alexa! While it might seem strange for Alexa to included among her child’s early vocabulary, it’s not all that surprising when you consider how many times a day parents speak the wake word in front of their kids if they have an Alexa-enabled device in their home. Photo: Courtesy of AmazonKathy Hirsh-Pasek, president of the International Society for Infant Studies explained, “Any word you say a lot becomes an early word for little kids. You probably say, ‘Alexa’ often because you start a sentence with it to play a song. Anything that generates a response is a likely candidate for an early word—no matter what it is.”It was only eight years ago Apple released first iPad, but already an entire generation has learned to swipe and tap a tablet screen to life even before they can walk. Smart home connectivity and AI technology are just the next evolutionary step that will turn words—like Alexa, Siri, Cortana and others—into a natural part of growing up.Market research firm ABI predicts that smart home devices will be present in over 50 million homes by the end of this year. “Just as all new, successful technologies are taken for granted by each generation that has never lived without them, the technologies’ existence will be part of the fabric and foundation for that generation,” Jonathan Collins, a research director at ABI, explains. “They will either develop and refine or reject the technologies they inherit.”Goo goo, ga ga…and Alexa. Welcome to the new normal. —Shahrzad Warkentin RELATED STORIES:Amazon Alexa Can Now *Literally* Make You Dinner“Alexa, Get Me a Donut” & 7 More Foods You Can Order by VoiceHere’s How Alexa Responds If Your Kids Ask Where Babies Come From Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Copy (Opens in new window) Search more like this smart hometechnologygrowing upintelligencetabletinfantcatapplemarketdadplaylearncandidatefoundation Welcome to our Tinybeans family! Be sure to check your email for new activities, recipes and parenting hacks – and to see if you’ve won! Do you have a dog or cat? Select YES below and click submit to start receiving FREE pet ideas and inspiration, news about new pet products, exclusive offers and limited-time promotions. Yes, I have a pet! Submit GET READY FOR SUMMER! 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Celeb & Entertainment Serena Williams Announces Retirement: ‘If I Were a Guy, I Wouldn’t Be Writing This’