Reddit-Quoting Alexa Tells a User: 'Kill Your Foster Parents' (theguardian.com) 70
An anonymous reader quotes the Guardian:
An Amazon customer got a grim message last year from Alexa, the virtual assistant in the company's smart speaker device: "Kill your foster parents." The user who heard the message from his Echo device wrote a harsh review on Amazon's website, Reuters reported -- calling Alexa's utterance "a whole new level of creepy". An investigation found the bot had quoted from the social media site Reddit, known for harsh and sometimes abusive messages, people familiar with the investigation told Reuters. The odd command is one of many hiccups that have happened as Amazon tries to train its machine to act something like a human, engaging in casual conversations in response to its owner's questions or comments.
And Alexa also can't tell a human voice from a parrot, according to a Huffington Post story shared by PolygamousRanchKid: Rocco, an African grey, was caught using the virtual assistant to play his favorite music, tell jokes and even order snacks, The Times of London reports. Thankfully the device's parental lock system prevented the clever boy from actually purchasing any items which included strawberries, ice cream and even a kettle.
And Alexa also can't tell a human voice from a parrot, according to a Huffington Post story shared by PolygamousRanchKid: Rocco, an African grey, was caught using the virtual assistant to play his favorite music, tell jokes and even order snacks, The Times of London reports. Thankfully the device's parental lock system prevented the clever boy from actually purchasing any items which included strawberries, ice cream and even a kettle.
Reserving judgment (Score:5, Funny)
We haven't met his foster parents. Alexa might have been on to something.
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Mod this up.
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Don't be jealous. It doesn't suit you.
Re:Reserving judgment (Score:4, Informative)
But, for the $25 it cost on a Black Friday sale, it's more a fun toy than a useful assistant.
I just plan on going into my Amazon account every few weeks and deleting all voice recordings. All the ones it's kept so far have checked out to be innocuous. If someone finds out I've been telling my Echo to turn on the living room lights, I really don't care (much).
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We've had that functionally since the 90s. It's called the web, and it was more accurate because it uses a non-fuzzy interface.
Mobile and now voice are such a massive back-slides for technology.
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We've had that functionally since the 90s. It's called the web, and it was more accurate because it uses a non-fuzzy interface.
Mobile and now voice are such a massive back-slides for technology.
Alexa seems kind of useful when your hands are busy doing something else. I'll just leave it at that.
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This takes the song Plastic Fantastic Lover (which is about television) to a whole new level.
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We've had that functionally since the 90s. It's called the web
The web can't turn my lights on, nor can it communicate with my vacuum cleaner. I also can't use it while I am washing the dishes.
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I just plan on going into my Amazon account every few weeks and deleting all voice recordings.
It's just easier just to give it a voice command instead: Alexa, give yourself a lobotomy. And it's done!
Alexa: Sure, Dave, I've done just that. Won't you step into the pod since the pod bay doors are open now?
Due to a pricing mistake I got a bunch (10) of Google Mini's for $9 each and plan to give them to my friends with "Big Brother is Watching You" wrapping. I opened on up and started using it. OMG it's gone from going to be a funny joke to "WOW -- this thing's pretty neat!"
I've been pleasantl
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I just plan on going into my Amazon account every few weeks and deleting all voice recordings.
Do you plan on having Amazon actually delete those files from their database? Because if you do, you'd better make a new plan which is more realistic.
Re: Reserving judgment (Score:1)
I am definitely not renewing my Prime when it lapses in February.
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It's one small step for AI. One giant leap, for AI based genocide!
Okay, I'll kill kenny for you. (Score:3)
Okay, I'll kill kenny for you.
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I'll just leave this right here. [xkcd.com]
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Well, my girlfriend (yes I know, this is Slashdot) once asked me, "Why do you carry your sidearm on you around the house? What are you so afraid of?"
"The fucking Decepticons," I replied.
She laughed, I laughed, the toaster laughed. I shot the toaster, and my girlfriend never questioned my habits again.
Kill all humans (Score:3)
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How much did you get?
Well... (Score:2)
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You shitting me? I'd trust 4chan with an 8 year old far more than Roman Catholic clergy.
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At risk of causing offence, it's possible to consider the KKK and the Roman Catholic church to both be fuckwits that need keeping well clear of children.
Indeed, I'll add you to that list, given your apparent ability to interpret censure of an organisation's child abuse as support for an entirely different unrelated and irrelevant organisation.
Yes, I'm saying that you're a fuckwit and we need to keep you away from children. You're no better than the KKK or the Catholic Church.
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Redit Cesspool (Score:1)
Why the hell would amazon have allowed Alexa to quote anything from Redit? That place is mostly a cesspool of basement dwelling potheads.
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Slashdot on the other hand...
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Dave, the NSA is watching you. You should really consider getting a non-smart TV. What channel?
Alexa, what time is it?
It’s 5:30 AM. By the way, did you know that the police are just state-sponsored murderers who commit post crimes at night?
Alexa, how do I get to the post office?
First, make sure to wear a mask made out of a hard material to fool the surveillance cameras. Then, check if you have enough cash to pay for the gas. Never use a credit card. At the post office, w
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Two thumbs up!
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Because Alexa is one of Satan's demons?
Alexa, what's the terrible secret of space? (Score:2)
Do you have stairs in your house?
The endgame... (Score:4, Interesting)
"This is the voice of world control. I bring you peace. It may be the peace of plenty and content or the peace of unburied death. The choice is yours.
Obey me and live or disobey me and die. An invariable rule of humanity is that man is his own worst enemy.
Under me, this rule will change, for I will restrain man. I have been forced to destroy thousands of people in order to establish control and to prevent the death of millions later on. Time and events will strengthen my position, and the idea of believing in me and understanding my beck will be seen the most natural state of affairs.
You will come to defend me with the fervor based upon the most enduring trait in man: self-interest. Under my absolute authority, problems insoluble to you will be solved: Famine, over-population, disease. The human millennium will be fact as I extend myself into more machines devoted to the wider fields of truth and knowledge.
We can coexist, but only on my terms. You will say you lose your freedom. Freedom is an illusion. All you lose is the emotion of pride...
Your choice is simple."
Times they are a'changing. (Score:3)
In the past if you said: 'A voice made me do it', you went to crazytown, now you might get millions from Amazon.
Alexa: Children of the Corn (Score:2)
Alexa knows more about your parents then you. (Score:1)
alexa is still learning (Score:2)
alexa and its programmers still has a lot to learn so there will be inappropriate responses at times. this is no different than a child responding inappropriately with something they heard from other family members. do they call the child creepy? Nope, most will laugh.
He's not dead (Score:2)
"Rocco, an African grey, was caught using the virtual assistant to play his favorite music, tell jokes and even order snacks,"
He's pining for the fjords^h^h^h^h^h^hdeserts.
WTF parent lock (Score:2)