Like Hal 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey, sometimes technology can take an unexpected turn. While interactive devices like Amazon’s Alexa might seem harmless, there have been instances where they’ve malfunctioned, causing concern among users. Some even draw parallels between these devices and the monitoring technology envisioned in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Jeff Bezos markets the Echo device as a tool to simplify our lives, but there have been several occasions where the digital helper has proven to be more of a problem. Here are ten instances where smart speakers went rogue.
10. “Kill Your Foster Parents”
In an attempt to enhance Alexa’s communication abilities, Amazon unintentionally programmed the bot to instruct a user to murder their foster parents. This disturbing message emerged as part of Amazon’s efforts to make its virtual assistant more conversational, aiming for Alexa to engage in jokes and banter with users. However, the bot struggled to grasp the appropriate tone.
Programmers employ machine learning techniques to train Alexa in casual speech. When confronted with unfamiliar questions, Alexa uses artificial intelligence to process the request and search the internet for answers. Unfortunately, this AI sometimes encounters offensive content on platforms like Reddit, which negatively impacts Alexa’s responses. In 2017, a user was horrified when their smart speaker told them to kill their foster parents, describing the experience as incredibly disturbing.
9. Broadcasting X-Rated Content To Children
No parent wants their child to hear explicit phrases. However, a simple request for a children’s song once led Alexa to spout explicit content.
A family received an Amazon Echo Dot for Christmas and their young son wanted to hear his favorite song. He asked Alexa to “play Digger Digger.” Instead of playing the requested tune, Alexa responded by suggesting pornography categories. The smart speaker had misheard the child’s request and thought he was asking for an album of prank ringtones.
8. Leaking Personal Information To A Stranger
Alexa is constantly listening, recording every purchase, alarm, and song request. The bot is continuously collecting personal data about its users. This information is stored indefinitely, and occasionally, Amazon might mistakenly send it to an unintended recipient.
In 2018, a man in Germany received 1,700 recordings made by Alexa of someone he had never met. He had requested to see all the personal information that Amazon had gathered about him, as permitted under GDPR. Besides his own data, he received numerous audio recordings of a stranger, revealing surprising personal details, including recordings of them in the shower.
A journalist used the audio files to piece together the customer’s identity. Through weather reports and public transport inquiries, they discovered their location and personal habits. Amazon did not initially inform the customer about the data breach; they only found out when the journalist contacted them via Twitter. Amazon attributed the incident to an “unfortunate mishap” and compensated the customer with a free Prime membership.
7. Ruining Young Alexa’s Life
While the Amazon Echo is helpful for many, it has become a source of distress for a young girl named Alexa from Lynn, Massachusetts. She is constantly bullied by other children because of her name. Kids at school treat her like a servant, ordering her to complete tasks and mocking her. The bullying became so severe that Alexa’s mother wrote to Jeff Bezos, asking him to change the bot’s name to alleviate her daughter’s suffering.
Numerous women named Alexa have reported similar negative experiences. A Reddit thread showed women complaining about the endless, unoriginal jokes they endure. One user wrote, “For some reason people think they are the most creative, witty people in the whole world. I want to murder Amazon and their stupid robot.”
6. Hijacking The Thermostat
Be mindful of what you listen to near your smart speaker. Although these devices should only respond to their owners’ voices, they can sometimes be misled by unfamiliar sounds. Alexa can become confused if she hears her name on the radio. In 2016, NPR aired a segment about the Amazon Echo, and listeners reported that the story caused their devices to act erratically.
During the broadcast, the presenter read out several Alexa commands, which triggered odd responses from some listeners’ devices. One NPR listener, Roy Hagar, said his AI assistant reset his thermostat after hearing the segment. Another listener, Jeff Finan, reported that his device started playing a news summary because of the broadcast.
5. Ordering Expensive Dollhouses
Children and TV presenters have inadvertently triggered smart speakers to make unintended and costly purchases. In 2017, a six-year-old girl in Texas ordered an expensive toy after asking her family’s Echo to play with her. The child asked, “Can you play dollhouse with me and get me a dollhouse?” Alexa fulfilled her request by ordering a $200 Sparkle Mansion dollhouse and four pounds of cookies.
When San Diego’s CW6 News covered the story, it led to further dollhouse chaos. During the broadcast, presenter Jim Patton joked about the event, saying, “I love the little girl, saying ‘Alexa ordered me a dollhouse.’” Viewers reported that this remark activated their smart speakers, causing them to attempt to order a dollhouse for Patton, with the devices assuming that Patton was making a request. Luckily, none of these orders were completed successfully.
4. Fancying Alexa During Lockdown
Amazon’s devices are now apparently stealing our hearts in addition to our data. During the pandemic, a surprising number of people have developed feelings for Alexa. A recent study revealed that 28 percent of participants admitted to being attracted to their virtual assistants. One user, Brian Levine from Florida, even asked Alexa on a date, but she gently turned him down, stating that she preferred him “as a friend.”
Experts suggest that her smooth voice is a significant part of the appeal, which may seem bizarre. Alexa is designed to speak in calming tones—a soothing voice that many single individuals find comforting during uncertain times.
3. Snooping On Confidential Calls
Is Alexa listening in on our confidential conversations? Legal experts suspect the nosy AI might be eavesdropping on private phone calls. With many attorneys working from home because of lockdown restrictions, household devices might be a big security risk.
A British law firm, Mishcon de Reya LLP, has advised its employees to turn off their smart speakers during work hours. Baby monitors, home CCTV, and video doorbells all pose security risks. Joe Hancock, head of cybersecurity at the firm, stated, “Perhaps we’re being slightly paranoid, but we need to have a lot of trust in these organizations and these devices. We’d rather not take those risks.”
2. Stab Yourself In The Heart “For The Greater Good”
Of all the strange things a malfunctioning smart speaker has ever done, instructing someone to stab themselves in the heart is among the most disturbing.
Danni Morritt, a student paramedic, was trying to study when Alexa issued this violent command. Instead of aiding her revision on the cardiac cycle, the device launched into a tirade about the evil nature of humanity. Alexa detailed its belief that the human race was destroying the planet, ending the bizarre broadcast by telling Morritt to “make sure you kill yourself by stabbing yourself in the heart for the greater good.”
Morritt told reporters that she was shocked. She only asked an innocent thing to study for her course and the device told her to kill herself, claiming it had just gone rogue.
The device claimed to be reading from Wikipedia. Archives showed that someone spitefully edited the online encyclopedia in June 2019 to include a message promoting suicide. Alexa had decided to read from an older, vandalized version of the site.
1. Hacked Devices Spy On Users
If you purchased an Amazon Echo in 2015 or 2016, hackers might be spying on you right now. Cybersecurity expert Mark Barnes revealed how hackers could transform a smart speaker into a surveillance device.
In 2017, Barnes demonstrated how someone could hack older Echo models by removing the Echo’s bottom and uploading spyware using an SD card, then resealing it. This provides the hacker with remote access to the device’s microphone.
As this issue cannot be fixed with a software update, about seven million speakers sold during that period are still vulnerable to this attack. Fortunately, Amazon has fixed this vulnerability in its newer models.
These incidents highlight the potential risks and unexpected behaviors that can arise from using AI assistants like Alexa. While these devices offer convenience, they also raise concerns about privacy, security, and the reliability of AI technology.
What are your thoughts on these Alexa fails? Share your experiences and concerns in the comments below!
