(ThyBlackMan.com) Unprompted laughter from Amazon Alexa is terrifying smart speaker owners. It happens randomly and it has been happening for the last couple weeks. Amazon Echo users from different parts of the world reported similar incidents of Alexa laughing and making comments even when the device is not asked to do so. Scared people finally shared the details of incidents that happened and social media, especially Twitter got flooded with weird stories about Alexa’s strange behavior.
While people were busy comparing Alexa with Skynet (a fictional device), Amazon quickly provided a solution and said it all happened because Alexa misunderstood what people were speaking. According to Amazon, in rare circumstances, Alexa mistakenly hears the phrase “Alexa, laugh” and that’s the reason it suddenly starts laughing.
Now the company has changed the default phrase to “Alexa, can you laugh?” so that there will be fewer chances of false positive results.
According to Amazon, before laughing, Alexa now confirms the command by saying “Sure, I can laugh”. If you ask Alexa to laugh, you’ll get to hear the polite “Tee-Hee” sound from the device, but those who heard random, spontaneous laughter say it is different from what they heard. Some users also said the smart speaker laughed even when the house was quiet.
Thankfully, Amazon has fixed this but at this point, we humans have received a fair share of indications and warnings about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. It’s cute that we can keep these devices anywhere and listen to music, read the news, surf internet, check weather, order food or taxi and even access emails, but isn’t this a warning that someday these AI assistants rise up to enslave us? Maybe it’s too much, but yes, we have been warned and those who experienced this had no other option than pulling the plug on.
When smart speakers with an always-listening microphone have been welcomed into many houses and offices, some people are still not happy with them. Some people worry these speakers could be collecting confidential information and tracking users. Some privacy advocacy groups believe their data is being collected by marketers or security agencies.
A user on Twitter said he was having a confidential, work-related discussion and suddenly Alexa started laughing without any prompt. In a similar incident, a family had to unplug their Alexa-powered smart speaker because it creeped them out. The family was sitting and no conversation was going on and suddenly they heard Alexa laughing. There are many incidents like this when Alexa either laughed for no reason or it simply refused to follow commands given by its owner.
Regardless of the reason Alexa laughed at you, the time is to become more aware of the realities of technology. Background applications, location tracking, and always-listening microphone are a boon to marketers who want to keep an eye on consumers’ online behavior. Even the inventors of these technologies are trying their best to keep themselves away from risks. One of the finest examples is Mark Zuckerberg who accidentally revealed in a post that he puts a tape on his laptop’s camera and audio jack. People like Edward Snowden and former FBI director James Comey also do the same.
It is impossible to keep yourself away from the risks of hacking and data theft, especially when you’re living a digitally connected life. Thankfully, some companies are working on delivering solutions. For example, Google’s next Android iteration Android P is expected to focus more on privacy. The update will restrict access to the camera, mic, and sensors from applications that are idle.
Alexa laughing at random moments and not obeying its owners all the time sounds weird and scary, but this is not a sign of an AI taking over. It is probably a chance to reconsider the reality of living with robots. It is not as simple as it is shown in advertisements. The most important thing to remember is machines are not perfect and they can be creepy at times. So before you make a decision with what your virtual assistant tells you, make sure you are not trusting a machine blindly.
Staff Writer; Corey Shaw
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