Amazon first released its Echo home assistant in 2014. It has now sold more than 20 million of them. By saying "Alexa", you activate a computer that can order your shopping, put on music and book a restaurant for dinner.

These new products are just the beginning of Amazon's mission to provide intelligent assistants for every aspect of our lives.

"Just think, one day there will be thousands of these things in the home," says David Limp, a senior boss at Amazon.

They are not alone. This year, tech firm Samsung launched a washing machine that can be controlled by a
smartphoneA phone that acts like a computer with an internet connection, like an iPhone or Android phone..

In the future, a computer running your home could learn your habits, carry out your to-do list and organise your life without being asked.

They will revolutioniseChange something dramatically. our homes. The main advantage of modern technology is that it makes our lives easier. With smart homes, we would never have to remember to stock the fridge, book a doctor's appointment or carry out boring chores - our computer assistant could do it for us! This will give us more time to focus on getting the most out of life.

Smart homes are a ridiculous idea. Are we really so lazy that we can't be bothered to press a few buttons on the microwave? This kind of technology will turn us into babies who can't do anything for ourselves. Besides, do we really want to face the possibility of huge companies like Amazon controlling every aspect of our lives through our homes?