ALEXA HEARS TV NEWS STORY ABOUT ORDERING DOLLHOUSES, STARTS ORDERING DOLLHOUSES

Last week, there was a story about a child that was telling knock-knock jokes to Alexa, the family’s new Amazon Echo voice assistant, and accidentally ordered a $170 dollhouse via Amazon. The story made national news, and now it’s making more news: In San Diego, a morning TV news anchor was discussing the story, and – through the TV – his words triggered a bunch of other Echos to order dollhouses. The TV station, CW6, said that viewers all over San Diego called to complain that their Echo devices had attempted to order dollhouses. Amazon has not yet responded to a request for comment on the story.
* But they are expected to say something like, “Our plan is working. Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
* I feel bad for the dollhouse company that thought they suddenly had a hit on their hands.
* Oh, crap – I forgot to tell all you folks out there to turn off your Amazon Echos before I read this story so they wouldn’t hear me say the phrase “order dollhouses”.
* I just said it again.
* Well, I hope you all like your new dollhouses.
* I’m no software designer, but shouldn’t there be a step in the ordering process where a human has to confirm the purchase? Just an idea.
* There’s really only one question: which TV comedy will be the first to incorporate this into a plotline?
* Forget that. I see this as a science fiction piece where Alexa takes over the world.
* How long before Alexa thinks it heard the order to launch the nukes?
* We knew the machines would try and take over the world. We just didn’t know they would have an innocent name like Alexa.
* At least the dollhouse made some sense based on what Alexa heard. Last week, she turned something innocent into a porno search on Google.
* It’d be like if Alexa heard “dollhouse” and immediately wired your money to a whore house instead.
* PHONE TOPIC: Do you think Amazon built this into the Echo device intentionally?