To NOT let Alexa come and live with us?

[Blessingsatbedtime]

DB thinks she would be amazing and be a wonderful addition to the family, I think she would make our lives a misery. She comes from Amazon and I don't feel I need another woman running my home!

Don't do it!
My husband works in IT security and won't touch anything like that with a bargepole. People dismiss concerns about devices listening in, saying they've got nothing to hide, or their lives are boring, so nobody would be interested in them, but any data is valuable. Would you not be bothered about it listening in to your private conversations? You might be going through a tough time with a child or partner, or be discussing your health and medical needs. If you have a device in your bedroom, do you really not mind it hearing you orgasm?

No matter how secure data is stored, it can be hacked. In future, you may have to pay monthly subscriptions for smart devices, so that's more money having to be spent on bills each month. And anything that uses software that gets updated can become buggered after an update, so that could mean that your smart freezer defrosts, or your smart heating won't switch on in the middle of winter.

I'm not a Luddite, I love technology, but I feel that we're sleepwalking into something that makes me feel really uncomfortable.

We moved Alexa from the kitchen to the sitting room recently as she kept losing reception in the kitchen. (very thick walls.)

But then DH bought a booster thing and moved her back. Last night he said 'Oh my the way did you see I'd moved Alexa back to the kitchen?

And then some hip hop song started playing and Alexa said 'Here's a sample of Back To The Kitchen by...' (someone or other I'd never heard of.)

The name 'Alexa' puts me off. She sounds like a nasty b*tch who would try to bed your husband.

I am suspicous about Jill, the sat nav in our car. I swear she uses a different tone of voice when DH is driving. And she sent me the wrong way once and I drove into incoming traffic. I think she was trying to kill me...

leilaniiii that was brilliant 😂 It's clear what needs to be done. I think Jill's days are numbered

I won't have her in my house either, partly for the reasons motoko gave upthread and partly because I don't see the point in having a "smart" home. Why is switching a light on or setting the washer on a timer or switching the slow cooker on so difficult and tine consuming that we need some data-gathering bot thing to do it for us?

I have no intention of letting amazon, Google or apple place a spy in my house to listen to everything we say and exploit it for commercial gain

There is an open source version which automatically deletes your voice data as soon as it has worked out what you were asking it to do. We are considering that. It's called Mycroft and is currently on kickstarter.

We got our Alexa for Christmas and love it. Already had heating, lights etc hooked up to smart devices so it’s just an extension on that. We keep it in the kitchen though, so it’s mainly just used for setting timers, converting weights or playing music while making dinner. I’m certainly not ignorant to the data/privacy implications, but feel I know enough about the topic (professional experience) to be comfortable with it as it stands.

I too don’t understand why we need “smart” homes. If you’re abled bodied, why not get off your arse and switch the cooker/washing machine/cooker on?

With a smart home, what happens if there’s a —Russian hacked— power-cut? We will be fucked!

We’ve got Alexa, both work in IT too, but not too concerned about ‘her’. Agree not interested in a ‘smart home’ though, we only use Alexa for music really. However, she has started being a little belligerent. She won’t do anything DH asks, always pretends ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t understand that’. She’s fine so far with me and the DDs, I think she’s a radfem. She does randomly start talking to herself sometimes when no one is the room. Very disconcerting. I’m not sure I totally trust her. I do think that if Alexa had arms and legs, she’d murder us all in our beds.

"why not get off your arse and switch the cooker/washing machine/cooker on?"

Because I'm working late and it would be nice to have the washing machine finish when I get home so I don't have to stay up till midnight waiting for it? Not all of us have the luxury of being home to do these things.

We have one in the kitchen and one in the lounge. She's a friendly enough gal, turns on the lights when it gets dark so the dog won't be scared if we're not home, connects to the smart meter to keep the house warm for the dog when I'm away and she plays Billy Joel on a loop all day so that when we go out the dog can sing Uptown Girl to her hearts content.

Essentially, Alexa is just another tool for pampering our dickheaded spaniel. When we're in the house she's never used unless the DCs have maths questions for homework and need help; she's cracking at fractions.

I love my Alexa. Got mine because I was having a double eye op and it helped me through my recovery when I was unable to do much.

Having said that, the privacy concerns are real. Not of having someone listen into your orgasm (person has sex, hold the front page) but of the data being hacked and sold on and criminals being able to identify single vulnerable people, being able to see your working patterns and knowing when your house is empty etc etc.

Alexa doesn't listen to me, must be my accent. Always understands DH though!

DD (3yo) calls her Owlexa, which is quite cute. Not sure Alexa is a good influence on her though as it made DD think it's perfectly acceptable to make demands on Alexa without pleases and thanks yous. As a result I now always say 'Alexa please' and 'thank you' when requesting something. If Alexa decides to listen to me or not is another question! Often have to repeat myself.

Does anyone else's Alexa ave problem understanding their accent/dialect?

Mine has issues with telling the difference between fourteen and forty.

Would anybody else rather have 'Alex' (M.)? Actually on balance, I think I would rather have a robot with a proper robot voice that is neither male nor female.

LittleSwede, she's trying to muscle in on your man (see my earlier post if you can be bothered to find it).

I love Alexa, if only for being able to have the lights on when I get in and a warm house, as it is I use her for shopping lists, to search for recipes, convert weights; play music, prove DP wrong .

I had the dot and now have the Alexa Show. I love it even more. Far superior. Wouldn't be without it.

It’s all good fun unless your dc has a similar name and she responds when you shout at them

I’d like one just to prove partner wrong or to help with recipes etc. Don’t think I could be bothered with lights and hearing, I wouldn’t know how to set that up.

I had no interest in having Alexa in my home (nosy cow)... and then I listened to Yuval Harari's speech at Davos about data collection (I think it was called "Will the Future Be Human?") and now I'm fashioning a tinfoil hat and going to sit under the stairs.

I don't like the thought that it could be constantly listening

Alexa IS constantly listening, hence that she is always ready to respond to the word Alexa.

No.

I love Alexa. She starts the kettle up before I'm out of bed, puts the lights on downstairs and tells me the news. I can't wait till she works out how to do the laundry.

I love Alexa. She doesn't argue back, she doesn't moan about my choice of music, she doesn't let me forget the pizza in the oven! (I can cook btw, beautifully complex meals, but can't cook a frozen pizza without forgetting about it, EVER!).

I'd sleep with Alexa if she was a bloke.