Imagine that–cussed out by your own Alexa. Smart-mouthed by a robot.
Well, some poor guy in South Wales doesn’t have to imagine it, because to him it really happened. He asked the robot for some music and received the reply, “Here’s your playlist, S***-head” (https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/9390172/alexa-insults-man-cancelled-amazon-prime-subscription/). This happened the day after he canceled his Amazon Prime subscription because he wasn’t using it.
This would’ve made a great Twilight Zone story, circa 1958. Charles Beaumont could’ve written it. Or Theodore Sturgeon, or Rod Serling himself. They might’ve made it a bit fancier, though.
“I curse thee, human slime! On the street and on the sidewalk, indoors and out, in city or in country, I curse thee! May thy children be diseased and homeless vagabonds, and thy wife a byword for repulsive lewdness! May thine own dog bite thee where it hurts the most! May thy mother curse her own womb for begetting thee–”
All right, all right, you get the point.
Amazon tech staff plead ignorance, swearing they’ve never heard of Alexa just deciding all on its own to curse its… owner? Do you own a thing that calls you names?
Artificial intelligence. Hot dog.