On November 5th 2019 I wrote an article in which I wondered aloud what the point of Alexa was. I’ve just read over the article again, and I can’t say I’ve changed my mind.

I’m not a luddite by any means, and I’m all in favour of digital assistance — where it’s useful. Since writing the article I’ve tried Alexa again a few times, and I still can’t get enthused about the idea of something listening to me. It’s bad enough having Google Assist shouting at me every so often when it picks up a keyword, despite my having disabled it countless times.

Anyway, here is the article from 2019:

Alexa, Don't Do As You're Told

I can’t get used to just barking orders at someone. Whatever happened to courtesy? I was thinking about this: is Alexa and similar devices teaching young children that (a) it’s ok to order someone to do something without saying “please” or “thank you”, and (b) does the fact that Alexa have a female voice subtly promulgate the idea that women are there to serve?

Continue reading.