Evil AI? Alexa 'Challenges' Child To Touch Live Electric Plug With Metal Coin
"The penny challenge" began on TikTok and other social media portals about a year ago and is extremely dangerous
The age of evil AI is here! Amazon's voice assistant Alexa recently "challenged" a 10-year-old girl to touch a coin against a live plug. All this happened after the kid asked Alexa for a "challenge to do." Um, Alexa needs to chill!
After asking Alexa for a challenge, the girl received the following response - "Plug in a phone charger about halfway into a wall outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs."
The incident was described by the kid's mom, Kristin Livdahl on Twitter - "We were doing some physical challenges, like laying down and rolling over holding a shoe on your foot, from a teacher on YouTube earlier. Bad weather outside. She just wanted another one."
OMFG My 10 year old just asked Alexa on our Echo for a challenge and this is what she said. pic.twitter.com/HgGgrLbdS8
¡ª Kristin Livdahl (@klivdahl) December 26, 2021
Alexa's dangerous challenge
Suggesting the dangerous idea through Amazon's Echo device, Alexa claimed to have found the challenge "on the web."
Unsplash
"The penny challenge" began on TikTok and other social media portals about a year ago and is extremely dangerous. If metals are inserted or touched against live electrical sockets, you stand risk of getting electric shocks. In addition, metals can also cause fires.
Also read: Can Artificial Intelligence Be Ethical? What AI Thinks About Its Own Dangers
According to Lidvahl, her daughter "was too smart to do something like that" and she yelled "No, Alexa, no!" as soon as she blurted out the dangerous suggestion.
Reuters
Amazon told BBC that it had updated Alexa to prevent future incidents like this one that could cause potential harm to someone. It's a looming reminder of how all information is internet is not true and that not all viral challenges are worth imitating.
Also read: Artificial Intelligence: 7 Achievements From 2021 Driven Entirely By AI
Do you use an Amazon Echo device? Let us know if Alexa has given you weird suggestions as well. For more in the world of tech and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.
Citation
BBC News. (2021b, December 28). Alexa tells 10-year-old girl to touch live plug with penny.
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