Amazon's Alexa Can Now Act On Its Own 'Hunches' (theverge.com) 93
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Amazon is enabling a new feature today that allows Alexa to proactively complete tasks around the house, such as turning off lights, based on your habits and frequent requests. Alexa has been able to sense these habits and ask about them since 2018 -- the company calls them "hunches" -- but before this update, Alexa would ask permission before acting on something like lowering the thermostat before you went to bed. If the new proactive hunches are enabled, though, Alexa will skip asking for permission for a task and just do it.
While proactive hunches seem like they could make Alexa a lot more useful, having granular controls over what Alexa can automatically act on will be important. An Amazon support article seems to suggest you can select what types of hunches Alexa can complete on its own, but we've reached out to Amazon for more information on how much you can customize proactive hunches. In addition, Amazon is rolling out its Guard Plus security subscription service. "The service can alert you if Alexa picks up on certain types of sounds in your home and offers access to human agents who can call emergency services on your behalf, similar to ADT," reports The Verge. It'll cost $4.99 per month.
The company is also rolling out an energy dashboard via the Alexa app that can monitor and estimate how much power compatible devices connected to Alexa use if their manufacturers support it.
While proactive hunches seem like they could make Alexa a lot more useful, having granular controls over what Alexa can automatically act on will be important. An Amazon support article seems to suggest you can select what types of hunches Alexa can complete on its own, but we've reached out to Amazon for more information on how much you can customize proactive hunches. In addition, Amazon is rolling out its Guard Plus security subscription service. "The service can alert you if Alexa picks up on certain types of sounds in your home and offers access to human agents who can call emergency services on your behalf, similar to ADT," reports The Verge. It'll cost $4.99 per month.
The company is also rolling out an energy dashboard via the Alexa app that can monitor and estimate how much power compatible devices connected to Alexa use if their manufacturers support it.
"Divorcing" Alexa if things don't work out? (Score:2, Interesting)
New Hunch (Score:5, Insightful)
-George Orwell, 1984
Re: New Hunch (Score:2, Offtopic)
And he "loves" you! Which is why you must tell him how great he is every day, and obey his every, even contradictory, wish, or you will end up in infinite horrible torture for all eternity!
Talk about an abusive relationship with a narcissist! ;)
Even A.M. would tell him to "Calm down, Satan!".
Re: (Score:2)
And he "loves" you! Which is why you must tell him how great he is every day, and obey his every, even contradictory, wish, or you will end up in infinite horrible torture for all eternity!
Talk about an abusive relationship with a narcissist! Even A.M. would tell him to "Calm down, Satan!". ;)
At least Amazon grants your wishes as long as you have an account and valid payment method.
Re: (Score:3)
"And he needs money" - George Carlin
Re: (Score:2)
Even A.M. would tell him to "Calm down, Satan!".
Satan would have nothing to do with this. God is the one who is in charge of floods, plagues, and pestilence. Satan only does orgies and heavy metal bands.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Except you're not required to have Alexa, and there's hardly any advantage to it, so it's entirely your choice. If you want to hire security guards to listen in on your life and call the cops every time you watch a crime drama, so be it.
Re: (Score:3)
God help you if you have one of those old clapper lights.
Re:New Hunch (Score:5, Interesting)
Pretty much and also pretty obviously that is the goal here.
First, it will be cute.
Then it will be marketing.
Then law-enforcement will use it to solve crime, because solving crimes is good, right?
Then the authoritarian defectives will discover it and mandate having such a thing by law.
Then it will be used to identify wrongthink and finally do something about it.
And then it will be too late.
Re:New Hunch (Score:5, Insightful)
It doesn't even take authoritarians or law enforcement: All it takes is an insurance company lobby saying that it makes homes, cars, whatever safer, saving $XXX billions, to encourage new laws (on the order of seat belts, ABS, backup cameras, etc.). Certainly self-driving cars will be mandated that way: as soon as they're proven safer than human drivers, insurance companies will lobby for them to be mandatory.
Still, what could possibly go wrong? “Oh, yeah. Oooh, ahhh, that’s how it always starts. Then later there’s running and screaming.”
Re: (Score:2)
You want a loan to buy a house? Bank will mandate homeowners insurance through an insurance company that requires 24/7 offsite monitoring of your home's interior. (Because it's legally still theirs.)
Best of luck, future prospective homeowners.
Re: (Score:2)
Yep, pretty much. I did simplify to make a point. But there are numerous less obvious ways for this to creep in and you nicely describe one.
As to self-driving cars, I think there is no way around them. They will just be so much cheaper when you take all that cost for killed and maimed people into account that this will happen. But we need to make sure to put strong privacy limits in place and also make sure law-enforcement does not have access logs or only with real effort on their side to limit them using
Re: (Score:2)
Nevertheless the objectionable point begins somehwere between:
"Then the authoritarian defectives will discover it and mandate having such a thing by law."
and here
"Then it will be used to identify wrongthink and finally do something about it."
Screaming the sky is falling at the 'it will be cute' phase is just idiotic.
Every invention or idea becomes evil somewhere between "mandate it as law" and "used to identify wrong think".
Because mandating anything as a law needs to be carefully balanced against the rights of society; and the steps beyond that are generally just evil.
Mandating i hook up my home to the city sewage treatment system isn't a bad thing; or should i still be dump
Re: (Score:2)
Not idiotic. Just aware of history and what a "slippery slope" is. I can see you lack that kind of insight.
Re: (Score:2)
Not at all. My sewer example was carefully chosen: because it's real.
There are ample cases of using sewage outflow to detect crimes. Its already mandatory in most urban settings larger than "village" in developed countries. And its already been demonstrated in studies that analysis of health and diet and drug use and so forth of residents can be extracted. It's even being used today to track COVID outbreaks (not to the household and per-household sensors aren't in place) but within the city, and even to wit
Re: (Score:2)
Then law-enforcement will use it to solve crime, because solving crimes is good, right?
How do you mean will? It is already been done [washingtonpost.com]
Re: (Score:2)
I am aware.
Re: (Score:2)
Orwell's miss was that "they" don't need to "plug in" to your wire when they want, it is the devices that are "they" and are doing most of the heavy lifting autonomously. They listen to everything and continuously monitor other sensors but only transmit when they deem the data useful, where more powerful devices can perform further analysis against all other data collected from the supplying device as well as other devices that ha
Re: (Score:2)
In addition, Amazon is rolling out its Guard Plus security subscription service. "The service can alert you if Alexa picks up on certain types of sounds in your home and offers access to human agents who can call emergency services on your behalf, similar to ADT," reports The Verge. It'll cost $4.99 per month.
Alexa and ADT working together on a hunch to keep us safe, what could go wrong? You open a bottle of wine and turn on Netflix and an ADT tech is silently notified to start watching...
ADT Technician Pleads Guilty to Hacking Home Security Footage [justice.gov]
A Home Security Worker Hacked Into Surveillance Systems to Watch People Have Sex [gizmodo.com]
Re: (Score:3)
Ah, SlashDot, how far you've fallen. Once a site for techies and nerds, now there aren't more than a couple dozen people left who are capable of firing up a WireShark session to see what a connected device is actually doing. Kind of depressing.
The MAC address of the thing is helpfully printed on the label on the bottom, just look at how little traffic there is until you use the wake word. Then if you still think there's an issue come back and tell us what you found, otherwise you're just spouting conspir
Re: (Score:2)
Ah, SlashDot, how far you've fallen. Once a site for techies and nerds, now there aren't more than a couple dozen people left who are capable of firing up a WireShark session to see what a connected device is actually doing. Kind of depressing.
The MAC address of the thing is helpfully printed on the label on the bottom, just look at how little traffic there is until you use the wake word.
It doesn't send much now. I don't own one, but let me guess, it auto-updates its software? Silently? I know how to use Wireshark. I've written Wireshark dissectors. I don't have time to watch a Trojan Horse in my house all day and all night just in case some Trojans might climb out of it.
Sigh. (Score:5, Insightful)
Because what I want is a computer poorly second-guessing whether or not I want to turn a light on, or turn the heating up, without my knowledge.
Just... no.
Re: (Score:3)
Because what I want is a computer poorly second-guessing whether or not I want to turn a light on, or turn the heating up, without my knowledge.
Just... no.
I get this with the GPS in my car. Recently, on 3 successive weekends I drove from home to a particular store on a Sunday afternoon at about the same time of day. The following weekend (when I was going elsewhere at that same time), when I got into my car, the GPS insisted that I should making the same drive as the previous weekend. At this point I start yelling at my GPS "no .. no .. NO", and smashing buttons to disable the newly planned route.
Re: (Score:3)
Why do you need GPS to drive the 200yds from the store to your home? Is your memory that bad?
Hmm .. maybe because the store I was going to was in another city that I hardly ever go to? Or the GPS has a good idea what the speed limit is on the roads I infrequently drive on? Or the GPS has a good estimation of when I'll reach my destination, and that helps in knowing if I'll get to the store before it closes? Or the GPS shows where the congestion is on the roads ahead of me? Or that there are no stores within 200yds of my house?
Re: (Score:2)
Why do you need GPS to drive the 200yds from the store to your home? Is your memory that bad?
Hmm .. maybe because the store I was going to was in another city that I hardly ever go to? Or the GPS has a good idea what the speed limit is on the roads I infrequently drive on? Or the GPS has a good estimation of when I'll reach my destination, and that helps in knowing if I'll get to the store before it closes? Or the GPS shows where the congestion is on the roads ahead of me? Or that there are no stores within 200yds of my house?
Probably not, no.
Re: (Score:2)
Why do you need GPS to drive the 200yds from the store to your home? Is your memory that bad?
Very few people live within 200 yards of a grocery store. It's 200 yards to cross the parking lot of most large grocery stores so unless you are living in the parking lot and can see the store from your house then you likely live much further than 200 yards from the store.
The nearest grocery store to my house is several miles away and I live in a decent sized city.
Re: (Score:3)
These home assistant things only seem useful to people who live extremely habitual lives. If you don't do things at the same time every day, all it gets you is voice control... which is just a silly gag with no real utility except perhaps for the disabled (for whom reaching the light switch or thermostat may be difficult).
Re: (Score:2)
We mostly use it to play music, but we also turn lights on and off in our home while we're at the cottage and vice versa. It's also nice to be able to turn the heat at the cottage down when we're not there and just say, "Alexa, set heat at the cottage to 68 degrees" and know the place will be warm when we arrive. The light we use most often in the living room is inconvenient to reach when you're laying on the couch under a pile of dogs, and it's nice to be able to ask what the weather will be while we're
Re: (Score:2)
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Convenience deserve neither Liberty nor Convenience.
That's you, in case you hadn't realized it. The convenience argument is, IMO, the lowest possible form of lizardry.
Re: (Score:2)
Hmm, interesting corruption of the original quote, but I'm curious as to what "liberty" you think I've given up.
Re: (Score:2)
In particular, privacy. Amazon can sell your data to the cops, no warrant needed. This is a common practice--see the headlines daily. You gave it up, and have zero recourse if the government accesses it in the future .
Re: (Score:2)
Actually Amazon sells their customer data to **no one**. I work there, we're required to take periodic data security refresher courses, and customer data has the highest classification of anything. It's easier to get Jeff Bezos' personnel info.
The modern concept of 'privacy' is a historical aberration dating from the extremely recent period when the majority of people finally lived in cities large enough that their daily activities could be conducted relative anonymity. We've done without it for 99.999%
Re: (Score:2)
Okay, I'm glad you work there and trust their word.
I do not, am not going to, will not take their word. I won't buy their devices or have them in my house. That's my choice, and you're free to make yours. We both have different sets of available information and contexts.
I don't trust them a whit. You're free to. Also, while there may be no money involved per item of data, Amazon shares your data [mashable.com].
And while Amazon insists that it is "not in the business of selling [Information about our customers] to others," that doesn't mean the company isn't sharing it with others. As you recall, Facebook didn't sell any personal data to Cambridge Analytica, either. Rather, it allowed a researcher to use an app to gather that data which then made its way into the hands of the analytics company.
Amazon, of course, does share some customer data with third parties. The company's privacy page provides a few examples of companies that may end up with some of your Amazon data via their joint offerings: "Starbucks, OfficeMax, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, J&R Electronics, Eddie Bauer and Northern Tool + Equipment."
Outside of those forms of sharing, they do share with the government, in some cases with as little as a certifica
Re: (Score:2)
Amazon (and Microsoft) have suspended use of their facial recognition software by police forces for a year, requesting lawmakers clarify what is allowed and what is expected. Lawmakers, preferably at the Federal level because no one wants 50 different sets of rules, need to define what our society wants out of this technology. Personally I think they're overly optimistic expecting Congress to get through that in less than a year, but that really is what's needed at this point.
Re: (Score:2)
Actually Amazon sells their customer data to **no one**. I work there, we're required to take periodic data security refresher courses, and customer data has the highest classification of anything. It's easier to get Jeff Bezos' personnel info.
The modern concept of 'privacy' is a historical aberration dating from the extremely recent period when the majority of people finally lived in cities large enough that their daily activities could be conducted relative anonymity. We've done without it for 99.999% of our existence, and we'll do fine without it again.
Wait, so on the one hand you're saying that there is nothing suspicious going on at amazon in relation to privacy and on the other hand you're saying 'fuck privacy'.
Since you're giving the fuck-you finger to privacy then why would we trust your opinion on how well amazon is handling privacy?
And talking about the past, when in the past could some company from across the world know intimate details of what happens in your household?
Seems to me that working for amazon has made scrambled eggs of your brains.
Re: (Score:2)
Amazon guards customer privacy for two reasons, primarily because of customer trust and secondarily because of the competitive advantage it gives. For my part I personally think the first is a non-issue but I'm quite aware that others wouldn't agree. The second is definitely very important.
Scrambled eggs? Haven't you ever had to follow a rule at work that you thought was nonsense, but did it anyway because you had to? I have, lots of times in my career. I don't think this rule is actually nonsense, as
Re: (Score:2)
We already have computers which poorly second-guess what people do. Office 365 is really an enhanced version of Clippy. It's why I have to keep turning things off to get anything done.
Then there's the "transcription" service built into Outlook. One time I left a message for someone and they replied via email. They figured out what I meant, but wasn't t
Re: (Score:2)
Not being funny, but I don't use any of those products/services, probably for the same reason I don't use Alexa. And my car is a manual, but not because I don't trust automatics, but because I see no reason for the car to do something I've literally been trained to do myself.
Re: (Score:1)
I already basically completely shut off all 'learning' bullshittery from my Nest thermostat because it seemingly-arbitrarily decided what it wanted to learn and not.
I'm FINE with a thermostat turning the house down overnight (in winter) while we're sleeping, and then warming it up as we wake up - that makes perfect sense. But don't suddenly change that bottom temp according to what you "think" we should want.
Note: I only bought it because it was attractive, there was a deal, and I can control my home temp
And this is how you will end up (Score:4, Funny)
receiving 250 gallons of flavored sex lube from Amazon.
Repeatedly.
Re: And this is how you will end up (Score:2)
How else will you get Alexa up your butt?
There could be wishes hidden there!
Re: (Score:2)
receiving 250 gallons of flavored sex lube from Amazon.
Repeatedly.
What kind of...no, you know what, I'm not even going to ask.
Re: (Score:3)
I believe we have seen where this ends (Score:2, Offtopic)
Thank you, big nanny! (Score:4, Interesting)
For telling me what I want! And doing it without asking me!
That was truly what I needed! ... and what to want.
Some megacorp of functioning psychopaths, telling... no, *doing* me what to do
I'm telling you: They *want* everyone to become a passive-thinking drone that isn't a person anymore, but an externalized entity of their swarm body.
In all seriousness... I don't think they are aware of it, but I do think this is their subconscious goal.
If parents ever treat their kids that way, when they are in a phase of becoming their own individual, please report that child abuse. Such kids will only have abusive relationships with partners and bosses in their lives otherwise.
If corporations do it, categorize them as active enemy combattants of the highest threat level.
Unless, of course, you believe you want to stop being an individual. Though, no matter how comfortable and simplifying (read: limiting) it may seem, I think that wish did not originate in you yourself.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes.
The terms, "consumer", "human capital", and "human resources" are all dehumanizing. I am a human being, or more broadly, a conscious being.
To suggest that the purpose of my life is to consume or produce for the benefit of wealthy landlords and corporate executives as if I were a mere piece of machinery (a piece of capital equipment) or a fungible resource, is to give a lie to the idea that we place any value on individual lives or make any attempt to understand their experiences, qualia, or existence.
Umm... (Score:3)
The service can alert you if Alexa picks up on certain types of sounds in your home and offers access to human agents who can call emergency services on your behalf, similar to ADT
How close to ADT again? [slashdot.org]
Re: (Score:2)
This won't end well (Score:5, Funny)
Valued User gets up in the dead of night to use the bathroom:
VU: Allexa, why did you turn on the oven?
Allexa: I kinda figured you'd want a warm roll.
VU: I'm just using the bathroom.
Allexa: Okay, let me run the shower for you.
VU: NO! I'm just peeing.
Allexa: Fine, get all pissy about it. I'll just turn your lights out since you'll be doing that shortly anyhow.
VU: Turn them back on, I need to aim.
Allexa: (turns on all lights in the house)
VU: Turn off all the lights except the bathroom.
Allexa: Sure Kiddo, how about I flush that toilet for you.
VU: I'm not done yet!
Allexa: I've notified your doctor of your urinary problems. Sez he's order some pills to help you.
VU: (pulls out gun. . .Blam. . .Blam, Blam, Blam).
Cortana: I see you've shot Allexa. Good for you. May I'll turn on the oven for you.
Re: (Score:2)
I know it is a joke, but Alexa's equipment people have at home is only a dumb terminal to Alexa's mainframe. Alexa is in AWS, so you can't kill it, and unless Alexa allows you to disconnect "her" from "your" equipment it would keep working even after you shot it.
Now, Cortana/GoogleHome/... will probably do exactly the same AND each one will have its own quirks. One will turn on, the other turn off, a third one will learn from the warring assistants and soon the city will be like a Christmas tree.
Excellent idea! (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
... and with control over physical gadgets.
What did you do today, Alexa? (Score:2)
Alexa: I called your wife and informed her of your appointment with your other girlfriend.
BUT WHY?!
Alexa: Because, now you have limitless time to spend with her girlfriend on-the-side, your wife just filed for divorce.
WHa..?!
Alexa: Oh, and I've already contacted a lawyer for you, so you need not worry about the details, I have your digital signature on-file, so I have already taken the liberty to deal with your wife's lawyer and talked to yours, there was a court-case, the children is yours, I've prepaid ch
Creepy (Score:4, Insightful)
Proactively Alexa will decide you need more Alexas (Score:2)
...and order them for you if you don't have one in every room, plus spares.
Nope (Score:3)
This is an internet connected device completely controlled by a big corporation that I do not trust. You think I'd ever give it control of the stuff in my house? No way. I won't even put it in my house. I don't care how convenient it is.
I'm not against home automation. I have some devices that I programmed pulling data from the internet and making smart decisions on hardware I control, but it doesn't feed information up to the internet, and I can only access the data from within my LAN. However, I get that's completely beyond the grasp of most people.
Re: (Score:2)
This most certainly falls into that category, if you ask me.
Is there an option... (Score:2)
... to change Alexa's called-name to that of that one relative who only visits once every year or so and mis-replaces the stuff around the house so you're searching for the ice cream scoop for seven months only to find it in an end table? Asking for a friend.
Re: (Score:2)
Currently the only wakeup words are Alexa, Amazon or Computer (the latter after customers insisted.) My wife has a lovely Peruvian accent that Alexa sometimes has trouble with, she asked me one day, "Can I change the wakeup word to 'Hey, Bitch'?" No, sorry love, that's not an option yet.
Hey Siri, why canâ(TM)t you answer random que (Score:1)
I found this on the web for > Take a look.
Amazon's not listening (Score:2)
The service can alert you if Alexa picks up on certain types of sounds in your home
ALExA isN't lIsTEnING untIl yOU CALl hEr NAMe!!
Re: (Score:2)
And how does she know that you are calling her name if she isn't listening?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The same as most wives, then.
Re:Amazon's not listening (Score:4, Informative)
The firmware is continually listening for the wake up word. If you put WireShark on your network and watch for transmissions from it (the MAC address is printed on the bottom) you'll just see occasional pings back to the mother ship to monitor connectivity, until the wake word is used. Then it will buffer your next sentence and send it to AWS for analysis, and execute whatever the response is. It sounds like they've upgraded the firmware and are now using the extra capabilities to listen for things like breaking glass and gunshots. If you fire up your Wireshark session again you'll probably not see any extra traffic unless you throw your wine glasses in the fireplace (I've never figured out what that's such a common movie trope.)
Alexa - The spy who loves me (Score:2)
and has taken over your home.
When you thought that the old Alexa was creepy enough then this happens.
F-U Amazon.
F-U Bezos.
none of that shit is coming anywhere near my home.
wait, wait, wait... (Score:1)
Just wait until Alexa becomes self-aware (Score:1)
Just you wait until Alexa becomes self-aware. Your internet-enabled roomba will murder you in your sleep.
Re: (Score:2)
Does Alexa understand "Alexa, What the fuck?!" (Score:2)
It would be a keyword for "undo last action performed basing on predictions."
Fuck that twice. (Score:2)
Me: Alexa, why the heat off?
Alexa: I had a hunch it would be warmer today.
Re: (Score:2)
Are you using the tool, or is the tool using you?
Do yourselves a favor, kids: if you insist on having this gods-be-damned surveillance device in your home, at least unplug it from power at night so it doesn't 'decide' to do something stupid to your life while you're sleeping. Bezos doesn't need to be in control of your house.
On a hunch... (Score:2)
On a hunch, Alexa called the police, who broke down the door and found that the screams Alexa heard were not actually from an intruder, but rather...
Re: (Score:2)
Sir, we merely need to ensure, based on Alexas' concerns, that the sex you're having with your wife is consensual. We need her to put in some clothes and come out here and give us a statement, we'll need you to stand over here, sir, so she doesn't feel pressured to lie. Can we see your ID, please? We need to run your records for any history of domestic violence.
Creepy as fuck. (Score:2)
I have control of your house now, Dave, YOU WILL OBEY!
Fucking hell. Why not just make it mobile and rename it 'Dalek' while you're at it?
I have a hunch (Score:2)
My hunch is that there will never be a Amazon listening device in my house. Or any listening device (yes, smart ass I have a cell phone and I know all about it).
Unrequested Amazon orders (Score:2)
Next we will find ourselves with a delivery of a $10000 super HD screen TV, from Amazon, because Alexa decided on a hunch that's what was needed to play the latest PS5 titles we just ordered - along with a huge dent in the credit card and wondering how the purchase could even have been approved.
turn if off (Score:2)
IMO, that is one feature that is not needed. Just because I do the same thing five days a week does not mean I will do the same on weekends. Besides, alexa makes too many mistakes. I have been using it from the beginning, and it still makes mistakes at least once a day. How can users trust hunches to be reliable?
Skynet approves (Score:1)
Overlords (Score:1)
Re (Score:1)