ᐅ Alexa and Other Home Automation Systems – Pros and Cons

Created on: 22 Oct 2018 14:33
B
Bookstar
Alexa, only over my dead body—this house will remain largely free of technology
H
hampshire
24 Apr 2019 22:01
The small assistants with ears and a mouth, powered by central artificial intelligence, can offer many possibilities. However, this comes at the cost of the currency of surveillance capitalism – personal data. The value of this currency is perceived very differently by consumers. We need education here so that people know what they are choosing. Digital natives build a variety of identities behind which they can “mask” themselves. This creates a way of dealing with it. For many over 25, this is still difficult to understand.
M
Müllerin
24 Apr 2019 22:05
Well, Alexa is still far from being "intelligent." It has improved and can answer significantly more questions than a year ago, but I understand intelligence differently...
H
hampshire
24 Apr 2019 22:13
Intelligence is not only about what Alexa tells you, but also about the insights it provides to Amazon.
To give examples of three goals pursued by all “Pod” providers:
1. The devices should make “suggestions” to their users before they even ask.
2. The devices should learn to negotiate prices independently.
3. The devices should get to know their users so well that in the future they offer no choice, only a single recommendation. The user is spared the “burden of choice” and begins to rely on the suggestions based on good experiences.

If you don’t believe number 3, you can check how many people you know who now drive “blindly” following a navigation system.
M
Müllerin
24 Apr 2019 22:30
Hmm, she is learning slowly.
When I say: play music for me,
often something I like comes up, but repeatedly there is stuff that I have already marked as "I don’t like." That should stop by now.
I also really appreciate that they now have voice recognition for the German version — because saying "play music for me" should definitely produce different results than for my husband.
S
Steffen80
24 Apr 2019 23:17
I hope you have all gotten rid of your Android smartphones... no? Not yet? But no Alexa devices allowed in the house?

Exactly my kind of humor!
N
Nordlys
24 Apr 2019 23:19
Exactly, Steffen. Seriously, for my data privacy, I only use Apple, even though it is expensive.