Voice Assistants: Convenience or Intrusion
The Topic:
Voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home have a growing presence in people's homes. These devices allow you to ask questions, create grocery lists, and listen to music without needing to physically touch anything, but they do not come without privacy concerns.
Readings:
WashPo: Can Alexa Help Solve a Murder?: Link to Reading
NYT: Bid for Access to Amazon Echo Audio: Link to Reading
Mic: Amazon Echo Privacy: Link to Reading
The Guardian: Goodbye privacy, hello Alexa: Link to Reading
The New Yorker: Yelling at Amazon's Alexa: Link to Reading
Discussion Questions:
How much data should Amazon record, and who should have access to that data?
How should Amazon and Google use the data they collect from their devices? Would you be willing to sell your data in exchange for either money or discounts on future purchases?
Given privacy concerns, would you consider purchasing a voice assistant?
What is the future of voice assistants and AI, but also how far can the technology go before it goes too far?
Consider how television and film frame the future of technology (2001: A Space Odyssey, Her, Black Mirror). How realistic are some of these comparisons?
