Amazon sorry for 'terrifying' Alexa glitch

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, file photo, an Amazon Echo Dot is displayed during a program announcing several new Amazon products by the company, in Seattle. A test by an AP reporter finds

Alexa you're scaring me.

Online retailer Amazon has admitted its popular voice assistant, which goes by the name of Alexa, has been freaking people out with a spontaneous creepy laugh coming from their smart speakers

Users have flooded the company with complaints and posts on social media which show the voice assistant randomly laughing like a deranged clown.

The smart speaker is connected to the internet and is supposed to just respond to questions posed to it by users about mundane things like the weather or traffic. But an apparent glitch has caused some speakers to randomly let out a sinister sounding laugh.

"There's a good chance I get murdered tonight," joked one user on Twitter after hearing their speaker let out a cackle.

Others have also shared their experience of the unsettling glitch on social media with some saying they responded by unplugging their device.

So Alexa decided to laugh randomly while I was in the kitchen. Freaked @SnootyJuicer and I out. I thought a kid was laughing behind me. pic.twitter.com/6dblzkiQHp

— CaptHandlebar (@CaptHandlebar) February 23, 2018

In a statement released to The Verge, Amazon said: "We're aware of this and working to fix it."

However it is still unclear what caused the glitch or when it will be patched.

The story has captivated, confused and creeped out consumers.

"Sometimes it happens just after I take off my pants," joked late night TV show host Jimmy Kimmel this week.

"Why did they even program it to laugh in the first place. Are we really that desperate for approval that we need the machine to laugh at us?"

As Amazon works to fix the malfunction, some have joked it could be the first sign of the robot uprising.

And I for one, welcome our new robot overlords.