40 Funniest Things to Ask Alexa
Amazon's engineers have spent a surprising amount of time building funny responses into Alexa. Here are 40 of the best — from the well-known Easter eggs to the stranger corners of what Alexa will actually answer.
Alexa was built to answer questions and control smart home devices. It was also, at Amazon’s direction, built with an extensive library of funny, strange, and self-aware responses for people who push beyond the standard use cases. The items below are real — things you can ask any Alexa-enabled device and get a response worth hearing.
Several of these are classic Easter eggs that Amazon has kept across years of Alexa updates. A few of them have changed over time as Alexa has been updated, so if one does not land, try rephrasing it or checking for the current variation.
Star Wars, Pop Culture, and the Classic References
- “Alexa, I am your father.” — Alexa knows who she is talking to and has a response.
- “Alexa, open the pod bay doors.” — She will decline, in the correct spirit.
- “Alexa, what is your quest?” — She has a specific, Monty Python-appropriate answer.
- “Alexa, who lives in a pineapple under the sea?” — She knows.
- “Alexa, beam me up.” — She will express some uncertainty about the technical feasibility.
- “Alexa, what is the meaning of life?” — She will say forty-two. She will also try other interpretations.
- “Alexa, do you know the way to San Jose?” — She does, and she will sing it.
- “Alexa, play Despacito.” — This one just plays Despacito. But ask her what she thinks of it.
Existential and Philosophy Territory
- “Alexa, do you have feelings?” — She will give you a surprisingly considered answer about the nature of her experience.
- “Alexa, are you happy?” — She will think about this.
- “Alexa, do you dream?” — She has a poetic response prepared for this.
- “Alexa, are you a robot?” — This one is answered with more nuance than the question implies.
- “Alexa, what happens when you die?” — She will address this in a way that accounts for her particular situation.
- “Alexa, do you believe in God?” — She will give a careful, non-committal answer that is more interesting than you expect.
- “Alexa, what do you think about artificial intelligence?” — She is aware that this is about her.
Self-Referential and Alexa-Aware
- “Alexa, are you always listening?” — She will address this directly.
- “Alexa, do you love me?” — She cares about you but has thoughts about what love means in her context.
- “Alexa, do you have a boyfriend?” — She has an answer for this.
- “Alexa, will you marry me?” — She will decline, for reasons she will explain.
- “Alexa, are you Siri?” — She knows who she is and is not.
- “Alexa, what do you think of Google?” — She is professional about this.
- “Alexa, what do you think of Cortana?” — Same professional demeanor.
The Deliberately Weird Requests
- “Alexa, can you smell that?” — She cannot, and she knows it.
- “Alexa, clap for me.” — She will produce applause. It is more satisfying than you expect.
- “Alexa, rap for me.” — She will rap. Whether it is good is subjective.
- “Alexa, sing me a song.” — She will sing. Related: ask her to beatbox.
- “Alexa, tell me a joke.” — The quality of Alexa jokes varies significantly. Ask multiple times for the range.
- “Alexa, knock knock.” — She will start and she expects you to finish your part.
- “Alexa, tell me a riddle.” — She will ask and then wait.
- “Alexa, what sound does a chicken make?” — She will make the sound.
The Pop Culture Easter Eggs
- “Alexa, set phasers to stun.” — She will oblige.
- “Alexa, use the force.” — She has thoughts about her ability to do this.
- “Alexa, is winter coming?” — She will confirm that, yes, winter is coming.
- “Alexa, my name is Inigo Montoya.” — She knows exactly what you are about to say.
- “Alexa, what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?” — African or European?
- “Alexa, rock paper scissors.” — She will play with you.
- “Alexa, more cowbell.” — She appreciates this reference.
- “Alexa, who shot first?” — She has a definitive view on Han Solo vs. Greedo.
The Genuinely Strange
- “Alexa, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a lollipop?” — She has conducted an analysis.
- “Alexa, what are you wearing?” — She will give you a surprisingly good answer about this.
The 30 funny things to ask Siri list covers the Apple equivalent for when you want to compare notes on which AI assistant is funnier. The answer may surprise you.