Controlling synthesized speech output from a voice-controlled device

A voice-controlled device for controlling synthesized speech output, the computer system comprising:

• a processor device;
• and
• a memory operably coupled to the processor device and storing computer-executable instructions causing:
• detecting, with at least one sensor, whether one person or more than one person is within a first settable distance from the voice-controlled device;
• determining whether audio input is being received is speech;
• and
• in response to only one person being detected within the settable distance and the audio input being speech, initiating the output of synthesized speech without waiting for an attention word to be recognized and otherwise waiting for additional criteria before outputting synthesized speech.

A computer program product for controlling synthesized speech output, the computer program product comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable storage medium readable by a processing device and storing program instructions for execution by the processing device, said program instructions comprising:
• detecting, with at least one sensor, whether one person or more than one person is within a first settable distance from the voice-controlled device;
• determining whether audio input is being received is speech;
• and
• in response to only one person being detected within the settable distance and the audio input being speech, initiating the output of synthesized speech without waiting for an attention word to be recognized and otherwise waiting for additional criteria before outputting synthesized speech.