Kapow! Amazon’s Alexa has learned new words – and she’s more nerdy than ever

An update has added more geeky in-jokes and references to the e-commerce giant's AI assistant, from 'Cowabunga' to 'Great Scott!'

Alexa, the talking lady who sits inside the Amazon Echo waiting for you to say her name, is having a personality makeover. The talking AI's latest update comes with a range of "speechcons" - little expressions or verbal tics.

Alexa will say 100 new words, including "bazinga" and "woohoo". In a nod to nerd culture, she will range from "Kapow!" (Batman) to "Great Scott!" (Superman). She will even quote the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ("Cowabunga") and The Godfather ("Bada bing!") if she needs to give deeper vent to her feelings.