Virtual assistant units have become a staple in many UK homes, telling people if it is expected to rain, what time it is and what the football score was.
Among the most used is Alexa, whose parent company Amazon has published the top questions and requests made to the software during 2024. Some were what you would expect: “What is the value of bitcoin?”; “What is the population of the Earth?”; and “what does AI mean?”
But some of the other most popular questions were a little more left-wing, such as “how long does a sausage cook?”, “who was Henry VIII married to?” and “How tall is Tom Cruise?”
In the kitchen, many people used Alexa as a virtual sous chef, answering other food-related questions and helping with recipes for pancakes, Yorkshire puddings, and banana bread.
Celebrities were the most discussed topic with Alexa, with David Attenborough and Paul McCartney joining Cruise in having users ask about his private life.
Monarchs and world leaders were also highly sought after. King Charles III’s age, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s height and US President-elect Donald Trump’s net worth were among the most frequently asked questions. Overall, Henry VIII attracted more questions than any other person living or dead regarding who he was married to.
One name that dominated searches was Taylor Swift. The American megastar appeared at the top of the list of questions about celebrity height and age, in addition to being the second most searched for her net worth, after Elon Musk, the richest person in the world.
In addition to this, Swift was the most streamed music artist on Alexa, ahead of artists such as Eminem, Ed Sheeran, Adele and Beyoncé. He also included three of his albums in the top five of the year, although they all fell behind Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, which came in first place.
Football dominated the sporting part of the list, with all 10 sporting questions relating to the England national team’s Premier League clubs. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland were all highly sought-after players during the year and, with love for the sport likely peaking in the summer during England’s Euro campaign, one of the most popular questions that was asked to Alexa was: “Alexa, are you coming home?