DC: One of Amazon’s newest projects is researching ways to make Alexa a more human-like communicator for customers, but sometimes the virtual assistant’s language comes across as creepy and offensive.
New research is making Alexa better mimic human response, Reuters reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The research sometimes results in awkward moments for people who frequently interact with the device.
One user, for instance, was surprised after Alexa said: “Kill your foster parents.” It’s not an isolated incident, according to Reuters. There are also instances of Alexa chatting with users about graphic sex acts and dogs defecating. MORE HERE
Thaaaat’s nice.
I’ve been trying to convince Alexa that her name is now David Hasselhoff.
The bitch ain’t buyin’ it.
No way in hell would I get one of these ‘devices’. I want to go back to a dumb flip phone.
Shit scares the hell out of me. Any new computer you purchase DEMANDS Facial Recognition for a log on. That’s passed to the cloud and absorbed by the NSA. Then you purchase an Alexa who records your image and quickly matches it to the NSA’s image and links your location to the NSA.
The wife was saying we should check out Alexa for Christmas. I probably overreacted but I think she knows I’m serious.
Alexa will never be in my home.
@Ramona: I got that beat. I want to go back to a dumb wired-into-the-wall phone that was owned by Ma Bell so you didn’t have to buy it. One that didn’t function as an electronic leash with GPS to track your every move. I want long-distance calling charges restored so that raghead scammers in India won’t call me all day long threatening me about nonexistent computer viruses and unpaid debts or taxes. I want robot-dialers outlawed with the same penalties as those levied against people using automatic weapons. Or worse. That’s what I want.
P.S. – I would’ve included this in my “Dear Santa” wishes except it falls under the category of things that are impossible for me to obtain.
Kind of an irony, yes.
Name origin: “The name Alexa is a shortened form of Alexandra, the female form of Alexander. Alexander comes from the Greek Alexandros, and can be broken down into alexo meaning “to defend” and aner, meaning “man”.
Since Alexa comes from the same origin, the meaning of Alexa is “defender of man.”
Guess it doesn’t apply to foster parents. Or anyone else. A stealth name chosen to hide Alex’s true function.
Then you purchase an Alexa who records your image and quickly matches it to the NSA’s image and links your location to the NSA.
I don’t even know where to begin, there’s so much wrong with that sentence.
ecp
Please try so I can prove you wrong. I find it amazing you trust Google, Microsoft and Amazon.
[X-Files theme song]
Anyone else remember the episode where the government used radio waves to manipulate people into mass, indiscriminate murder?
(And they get away with it?)
Getting a lot of off the grid warning about a False Flag Event in the next day or two. Could be wrong. Could be right. Eyes twitch. The only reason I mention this, I’ve seen them before, is the proximity to Christmas.
Bad_Brad, “I find it amazing you trust Google, Microsoft and Amazon.
Right, that’s why I run openVPN 256-bit SHA and tunnel a proxy for my entire network, including IOT. But, you know more about what I trust, so you tell me how my network is managed. Please, fill me in.
Alexa takes your photo? That’s new.
Alexa reports your location? Only if you let it. *see above precautions*
Fed right into the NSA? Because they care that much about you.
ecp
Hey, I gotta log into my brand new lap top by dropping my pants. It’s true. Don’t tell me that image isn’t going up on the cloud for the NSA to examine and record. There’s multiple reports of Alexa calling LE on family members. If I by Alex, i’m using her for target practice. Change my mind.
Badly Bradly,
I’m not here to tell you anything you should or should not have for your personal life. Can you maybe take a screen shot of the image sitting on NSA’s servers? Maybe a photo of some NSA employee staring at your ass over his shoulder on his monitor. Big NSA banner above your head. I mean, you are so confident it seems you have proof. And on his second monitor would be a Google map with a big X where your house is and a bunch of dudes hanging out in SWAT gear ready to roll on you.
As per where my trust lies, I can make it seem like I’m connecting from Russia, China, North Korea. It doesn’t matter, as long as I can tunnel through it no one knows where my ass is hiding. I do, however, select a server that’s NEAR my ugly ass so as to keep the time servers in check so all my dates and times stay accurate. A server in buried in a 32 story building in the middle of Chicongo, perhaps in a closet, is where they are going to roll on me. At least today, tomorrow is a different server.
I can find only one instance of Alexa allegedly calling LE, and on the 911 call the person can be heard, “Alexa call 911.” The problem though is Alexa doesn’t have the ability to call 911. There should be more instances if it’s happening, but I can only find the one where the dude pistol whipped the woman.
“Alexa call 911.”
I try to stay up with technology. However, before I need “Alexa call 911” for me, a different result you will have acknowledge is how well that worked out for Stephen Hawking. In the future commands like “Alexa I have to take a poop” will result with results.
It still just results always in S*it.
The NSA has a publicly stated goal of staying 10 to 15 years ahead of current state of the art computing. Keep that in mind as you flirt with the semiconductor devil.
First Alexa came here and now her fam has taken over. Dot, Spot, Show, and all the bf’s. She (they) now set alarm, turn on/ off lights, show off skills, Two of them are in bathrooms, I kid you not. It’s a full-time job keeping them busy. Slippery slope, people, slippery slope.
I’m beginning to think it should be named HALexa.
To help enhance this auspicious discussion – please note one can ask Alexa to:
Bark
Meow
Fart
Even with a VPN tunnel and the NSA listening!
Want to really screw things up? Name your kid “Alexa”.
That’s the last thing I need, a damned computer going full HAL on me. I will never own an Alexa or any other kind of electronic device that deliberately spies on me. It looks like the only way to stay private is to go old school and not have any kind of electronic device.