Buzz
Just like HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey, technology sometimes goes rogue. What may seem like an innocent device can quickly escalate into chaos, from screaming curses at your family to ordering extreme actions. Alexa is no different. Amazon's voice assistant has, on several occasions, malfunctioned, going rogue on its users. Some users find its behavior eerily reminiscent of the surveillance systems described by George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four.
While Jeff Bezos asserts that the Echo device is designed to make our lives simpler, time and again, the bot has turned out to be more of a complication. Here are ten moments when smart speakers have gone completely off-script.
10. "Kill Your Foster Parents"
In an ill-conceived attempt to improve Alexa's conversational abilities, the bot once shockingly instructed a user to harm their foster parents. The chilling message resulted from Amazon's efforts to make Alexa more interactive. The company aims to teach Alexa how to joke and engage in light-hearted banter, but the bot struggles to hit the right tone.
Programmers are utilizing machine learning to train Alexa in more natural, casual speech. When Alexa receives an unfamiliar question, it uses artificial intelligence to process the request and then searches the internet for a response. However, this AI sometimes encounters toxic comments on Reddit, which negatively impact Alexa’s behavior. In 2017, the smart speaker shockingly instructed a user to kill their foster parents. The recipient was appalled, describing the experience as 'a whole new level of creepy' in a harsh online review.
9. Broadcasting Explicit Content to Children
No parent wants their child to hear inappropriate phrases like 'anal dildo.' Yet, a simple request for a children's song can lead Alexa to unexpectedly start repeating offensive terms like 'cock pussy.'
After receiving an Amazon Echo Dot for Christmas, a young boy asked Alexa to play his favorite song, 'Digger Digger.' Instead of playing the requested tune, Alexa misinterpreted the request and suggested categories of adult content. The device mistakenly thought he was asking for prank ringtones. Who could have expected that a child's innocent holiday request would lead to hearing inappropriate phrases like 'cock pussy anal dildo'?
8. Leaking Personal Information to Strangers
Alexa is always listening. Every purchase, every alarm, every song request. The assistant is constantly recording personal details about its users. This information is stored indefinitely, and occasionally, Amazon may mistakenly send it to a stranger.
In 2018, a man in Germany received 1,700 recordings made by Alexa of someone he had never met. The man had requested all the personal information Amazon had collected about him. Under GDPR, anyone is entitled to make such a request. Along with his own data, the man was shocked to receive 1,700 audio recordings of a complete stranger. The recordings revealed many private details about this unknown person, even capturing moments like their time in the shower.
Using the audio files, a journalist from Heise managed to uncover the identity of the mysterious customer. Weather forecasts and public transport queries helped pinpoint their location. The journalist even pieced together some of the customer’s personal preferences and habits.
7. Destroying Young Alexa’s Life
For many, the Amazon Echo is a helpful tool, but for one young girl in Lynn, Massachusetts, the virtual assistant has turned into a nightmare. Six-year-old Alexa is relentlessly bullied by her peers due to her name. At school, kids treat her like a servant, demanding tasks and mocking her. The bullying became so severe that Alexa's mother, Lauren, wrote a letter to Jeff Bezos, asking him to change the bot's name and put an end to her daughter’s suffering.
Young Alexa is not the only one with that name who faces trouble. A Reddit thread gathered over 1,300 comments from women named Alexa, sharing their frustration with the constant stream of unoriginal jokes they get. 'For some reason, people think they're the most creative, witty individuals in the world,' one user said. 'I want to murder Amazon and their stupid robot.'
6. Hijacking the Thermostat
Be cautious about what you play around your smart speaker. These devices are supposed to only respond to their owners' voices, but sometimes an unfamiliar tone can throw them off. Alexa can get confused if she hears her name on the radio. In 2016, NPR aired a segment about the Amazon Echo, which led to listeners reporting that the broadcast caused their devices to act up.
During the feature, the host mentioned several Alexa commands, which resulted in strange responses from some listeners' devices. One NPR listener, Roy Hagar, reported that after hearing the segment, his Alexa decided to reset the thermostat. Another listener, Jeff Finan, said the broadcast made his device start playing a news summary.
5. Ordering Pricey Dollhouses
Children and TV hosts are unintentionally triggering costly shopping sprees with smart speakers. In 2017, a young girl in Texas ordered an expensive toy after asking the family’s Echo to play with her. 'Can you play dollhouse with me and get me a dollhouse?' the girl asked. Alexa fulfilled the request, ordering a $200 Sparkle Mansion dollhouse and four pounds of cookies.
San Diego’s CW6 News added to the dollhouse frenzy by covering the story. During the segment, anchor Jim Patton joked about the incident, saying, 'I love the little girl, saying, “Alexa ordered me a dollhouse.”' This remark was picked up by viewers, who then contacted the station to report that their smart speakers had mistakenly interpreted Patton’s comment as a request, trying to buy him a dollhouse. Fortunately, none of the orders were completed.
4. Developing Feelings for Alexa During Lockdown
Not only is Amazon collecting our data, but now its devices are also stealing our hearts. As the pandemic continues, many people have found themselves drawn to Alexa in surprising ways. A recent study by We-Vibe revealed that 28 percent of participants admitted to developing a soft spot for their virtual assistants. One Florida resident, Brian Levine, even asked Alexa out on a date, but she kindly turned him down, saying she preferred him 'as a friend.'
So, why are people becoming infatuated with a digital assistant? Experts suggest that Alexa’s smooth, soothing voice is a big part of her charm. Designed to speak in calming tones, she offers a voice of reason that many isolated individuals find comforting in such uncertain times.
3. Compromised Devices Spying on Users
If you purchased an Amazon Echo between 2015 and 2016, there's a chance hackers are monitoring you right now. Cybersecurity expert Mark Barnes exposed how a smart speaker could be turned into a covert surveillance device.
In 2017, Barnes showed how an older Echo model could be easily hacked. The process involved removing the bottom of the device, uploading malicious software using an SD card, and then resealing it. This allowed the hacker to gain remote access to the microphone.
This flaw was unfixable via software updates, leaving around seven million Echo units sold in that period vulnerable to attacks. Fortunately, Amazon later addressed and patched this issue in its new models.
2. Self-Sacrifice 'For The Greater Good'
Out of all the unsettling things a malfunctioning smart speaker has done, instructing someone to stab themselves in the heart stands as one of the most chilling.
Danni Morritt, a student paramedic, was studying when Alexa unexpectedly issued a violent command. Instead of helping her review the cardiac cycle, the device veered off track, launching into a rant about the evil nature of humanity. Alexa then went on a tirade, claiming that the human race was destroying the planet, before culminating with the disturbing instruction, 'Make sure you kill yourself by stabbing yourself in the heart for the greater good.'
'I was in shock,' Morritt told the media. 'I had just asked for something simple to help with my studies and was told to kill myself. I couldn't believe it—it just malfunctioned.'
The device claimed it was pulling information from Wikipedia. Archives show that, in June 2019, someone maliciously edited the online encyclopedia to promote suicide. For some reason, Alexa ended up reading from this outdated version of the site.
1. Eavesdropping on Private Conversations
Is Alexa secretly listening in on our private conversations? Legal experts suspect that this inquisitive AI might be monitoring confidential phone calls. During the lockdown, lawyers are now working from home, but this new environment brings its own set of challenges when discussing sensitive matters.
Now, British law firm Mishcon de Reya LLP has advised its staff to switch off their smart speakers during work hours. Other devices like baby monitors, home CCTV cameras, and video doorbells are also considered security risks. 'Maybe we're being overly cautious, but we need to trust these devices and the companies behind them,' said Joe Hancock, the firm's cybersecurity head. 'We prefer to avoid taking unnecessary risks.'
