Alexa Almost Risked a Kid’s Life!
Livdahl included a screenshot from the Alexa app, showcasing the web result. The result showed a news article from last year, which reported the hazards of the dangerous “Penny Challenge” on TikTok. Basically, the challenge asked people to “plug in a phone charger about halfway into the power outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs.” It safely (no pun intended) became a the viral TikTok challenge on the short-video platform. But, this one is quite dangerous for it can easily electrocute anyone.
For those unaware, Alexa usually relies on web results (usually from Microsoft’s Bing browser) to answer complex questions. However, it is currently unclear why the voice assistant displayed the dangerous challenge instead of other search results.
Now, if you ask Alexa for a challenge, it might show you other results or give a generic “I’m not sure I understand” message. This incident clearly indicates how virtual assistants aren’t that smart after all! What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below.
