The Amazon Alexa will soon be able to tell you if you're dying

Starting this week, those in the UK with an Amazon Alexa will be able to ask their device to search the official NHS website for health and medical advice.

Your Alexa won’t actually be capable of diagnosing you with anything and if you think you’re having a medical emergency such as your appendix bursting, you should probably pop down to your local A&E.

However, the advice it’ll provide will be entirely NHS certified, so you’ll be able to trust it more than just blindly looking your symptoms up on the internet.

The UK government say that this step forward in technology will help patients, especially the elderly, blind, and those who can’t access the internet easily, to get professional and verified information in seconds using only voice commands.

Alexa will be able to answer questions such as “How do I treat a migraine?” and “What are the symptoms of chickenpox?”

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said:

“We want to empower every patient to take better control of their healthcare and technology like this is a great example of how people can access reliable, world-leading NHS advice from the comfort of their home, reducing the pressure on our hardworking GPs and pharmacists.”

“Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we want to embrace the advances in technology to build a health and care system that is fit for the future and NHSX will drive this revolution to bring the benefits to every patient, clinician and carer.”

BBC News say that talks to set up similar arrangements with other companies, including Microsoft, are under way.